Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Purchased by Geode Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Geode Capital Management increased its Northrop Grumman stake by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 3.15 million shares worth about $1.79 billion. The firm now owns roughly 2.22% of the company.
• Northrop Grumman reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $6.14 versus estimates of $6.06 and revenue of $9.88 billion versus $9.75 billion expected. The company also raised its full-year guidance to 27.4–27.9 EPS.
• The board approved a higher quarterly dividend of $2.47 per share, up from $2.31, payable June 17. That implies an annualized dividend of $9.88 and a yield of about 1.8%.

Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,149,478 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,948 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.22% of Northrop Grumman worth $1,793,478,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC opened at $559.16 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $622.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $632.35. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $468.50 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market cap of $79.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.50, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of -0.11.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.Northrop Grumman's revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.06 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NOC. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $660.00 to $620.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Citigroup lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $742.00 to $628.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $815.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $702.63.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.