Meeder Asset Management Inc. Reduces Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Meeder Asset Management cut its Northrop Grumman stake by 12% in the first quarter, selling 2,984 shares and leaving it with 21,944 shares valued at about $15 million.
• Northrop Grumman reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings of $6.14 per share on revenue of $9.88 billion, and it raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share from $2.31.
• Sentiment around the stock remains supported by defense-spending tailwinds and upcoming Q2 results, though some analysts have recently trimmed price targets and ratings remain mixed-to-positive overall.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 12.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,944 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 2,984 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman accounts for approximately 0.9% of Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Meeder Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $14,971,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,958,151,000 after purchasing an additional 970,029 shares during the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 56,920.9% in the fourth quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 421,955 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $240,603,000 after purchasing an additional 421,215 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 272.8% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 401,664 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $229,033,000 after purchasing an additional 293,909 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $7,835,097,000 after purchasing an additional 209,135 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 1,086.5% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 192,583 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $109,813,000 after buying an additional 176,352 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $523.19 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a twelve month low of $493.84 and a twelve month high of $774.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $538.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $624.13. The firm has a market cap of $74.31 billion, a PE ratio of 16.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of -0.10.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.The company had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.06 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $2.47 per share. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 30.92%.

Key Stories Impacting Northrop Grumman

Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Defense stocks are benefiting from a broader sector rally as investors respond to expectations for stronger U.S. military spending, including a proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget backdrop. Northrop Grumman rises as defense-spending tailwinds and program momentum lift sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: Investor attention is building ahead of Northrop Grumman’s July 21 Q2 results, with a strong backlog and government contract momentum expected to support the quarter. Northrop Grumman to Post Q2 Earnings: Here's What to Expect
• Positive Sentiment: Recent program news, including work tied to Sentinel infrastructure, is reinforcing the long-term growth story for strategic deterrence and aerospace missions. Northrop Grumman Planning To Add Hundreds Of Jobs For Sentinel
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains mixed-to-positive, with recent coverage focused on key earnings metrics and margin sensitivity, especially around the Sentinel program.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider trading data shows no open-market insider buying in the last six months, while several executives have sold shares, which may temper some enthusiasm.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $603.00 to $533.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $620.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, June 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $676.29.

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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