Lazard Asset Management LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Lazard Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 20.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 40,145 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 10,546 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $27,389,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,394,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 367.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 1,487.8% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 16,338 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $8,169,000 after acquiring an additional 15,309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,865 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,432,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Robert W. Baird set a $500.00 price target on Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, June 15th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $666.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $745.00 target price on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $659.00.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $550.37 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1-year low of $479.02 and a 1-year high of $774.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of -0.10. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $535.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $621.55.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. Northrop Grumman's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.15 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 31.39%.

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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