National Pension Service Cuts Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

National Pension Service lessened its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 378,695 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 4,342 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.27% of Northrop Grumman worth $215,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 353 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $201,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 1,143 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $651,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,973 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,125,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 4,012 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,288,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Equity Partners increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 1,337 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NOC opened at $562.67 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $468.50 and a 52-week high of $774.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm's fifty day moving average is $619.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $631.86. The stock has a market cap of $79.92 billion, a PE ratio of 17.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of -0.11.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.06 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $2.47 per share. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 28.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on NOC. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $800.00 price target for the company. Argus set a $785.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $815.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $660.00 to $620.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $702.63.

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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