Korea Investment CORP Has $35.07 Million Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Korea Investment CORP cut its stake in Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) by 38.3% in Q3, selling 35,664 shares and retaining 57,563 shares valued at about $35.07 million.
• Northrop Grumman beat expectations with Q results of $7.23 EPS (vs. $6.97 estimate) and $11.71 billion revenue (up 9.6% YoY), set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of 27.40–27.90, and carries a consensus analyst target near $693.60.
• Company insiders sold a total of 32,431 shares (~$21.97M) this quarter, including CEO Kathy Warden's sale of 20,000 shares (~$14.18M), and the firm declared a quarterly dividend of $2.31 per share (1.2% yield).

Korea Investment CORP cut its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,563 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 35,664 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $35,074,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at about $6,457,274,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth about $491,985,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 11.8% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,933,061 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,466,472,000 after buying an additional 308,680 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 26.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,051,226 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $640,534,000 after buying an additional 221,431 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 49,898.2% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 169,494 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $84,744,000 after buying an additional 169,155 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE NOC opened at $747.10 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.03 billion, a PE ratio of 25.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 0.03. The business's 50-day moving average price is $678.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $615.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $450.13 and a 12 month high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The company had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.39 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.72%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total value of $65,029.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. This represents a 2.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total transaction of $14,176,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 171,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on NOC shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Argus set a $785.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and set a $727.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded Northrop Grumman from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $662.00 target price for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $693.60.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation NYSE: NOC is a leading U.S.-based aerospace and defense company that designs, builds and sustains advanced systems, products and technologies for government and commercial customers. Formed through the combination of Northrop and Grumman businesses in the 1990s, the company's portfolio spans manned and unmanned aircraft, space systems, missile defense, radar and sensor systems, and integrated command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) solutions.

The company's work includes airframe and platform manufacturing, space hardware and satellite systems, advanced mission systems and cybersecurity services, as well as logistics, sustainment and modernization programs.

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