Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Bought by LPL Financial LLC

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC increased its Northrop Grumman stake by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, adding 8,978 shares to bring its total to 322,323 shares valued at about $183.8 million.
• Northrop Grumman beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $6.14 versus $6.06 expected and revenue of $9.88 billion versus $9.75 billion expected, while also raising FY 2026 guidance to $27.40-$27.90 EPS.
• The company boosted its dividend to $2.47 per quarter from $2.31, implying a $9.88 annualized payout and a 1.8% yield; analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with an average target price of $702.63.

LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 322,323 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 8,978 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.23% of Northrop Grumman worth $183,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 353 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $201,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 1,143 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $651,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,973 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,125,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 4,012 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,288,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $547.45 on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $472.02 and a 52 week high of $774.00. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $597.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $631.24. The firm has a market cap of $77.75 billion, a PE ratio of 17.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.69 and a beta of -0.12. 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 (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $6.06 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $660.00 to $620.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus 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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