Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation by 52.8% during the first quarter, amassing a total of 6,063 shares valued at over $3 million.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their stakes, with notable increases from Brookstone Capital Management (121%) and Golden State Wealth Management (206.2%) in the same period.
• Northrop Grumman's stock received multiple target price upgrades, with Barclays raising it to $580 and Susquehanna to $650, reflecting positive sentiment among analysts with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 52.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,063 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,094 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,266,301 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,792,479,000 after purchasing an additional 588,520 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 23.4% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,139,333 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,631,390,000 after buying an additional 974,633 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 10.4% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,241,144 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,147,489,000 after purchasing an additional 210,500 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 12.1% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,944,186 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $995,443,000 after purchasing an additional 210,506 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 55,522.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,520,158 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $778,336,000 after purchasing an additional 1,517,425 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total value of $3,793,275.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 201,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,964,243.54. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $368,706.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 7,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,819,575.04. This trade represents a 8.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,512 shares of company stock valued at $7,805,146. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded down $1.79 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $579.22. The company had a trading volume of 484,478 shares, compared to its average volume of 610,947. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $82.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.35, a PEG ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.13. The company's 50-day moving average price is $558.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $512.22. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a one year low of $426.24 and a one year high of $600.99.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.84 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $10.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.15 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 25.52%. Northrop Grumman's revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.36 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.06%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $625.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $480.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $588.85.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company's Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.