Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Purchased by ProShare Advisors LLC

Key Points

• ProShare Advisors increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 22.9% in the fourth quarter, and several other large institutional investors also added to their holdings. Institutional ownership remains high at 83.4%.
• Northrop Grumman reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with earnings of $6.14 per share and revenue of $9.88 billion, both topping analyst estimates. The company also raised its FY 2026 EPS guidance to 27.4–27.9.
• The board approved a higher quarterly dividend of $2.47 per share, up from $2.31, which puts the annualized payout at $9.88 and a yield of about 1.8%. Analysts currently maintain a Moderate Buy consensus on the stock.

ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 22.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,894 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 5,193 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $15,905,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $7,835,097,000 after purchasing an additional 209,135 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,996,284 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,825,696,000 after purchasing an additional 63,223 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,624,658 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $990,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,844 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,051,226 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $640,534,000 after buying an additional 221,431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 746,585 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $454,909,000 after buying an additional 29,478 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC stock opened at $551.54 on Thursday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $643.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $633.16. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $468.29 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The firm has a market cap of $78.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of -0.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

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

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

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

Northrop Grumman News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share, a 6.9% increase from the prior payout, signaling confidence in cash flow and a shareholder-friendly capital allocation strategy. Northrop Grumman Board Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: The company won a spot in the Pentagon’s drone program, reinforcing its role in U.S. defense modernization and supporting the long-term growth outlook for its unmanned and autonomous systems business. Northrop wins spot in Pentagon drone program as U.S. pushes mass production
• Positive Sentiment: Northrop remains positioned to benefit from the Pentagon’s AI and digital modernization push, with investors viewing it as a key defense-tech winner in the broader military upgrade cycle. The Pentagon's AI Pivot Supercharges Defense Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles focus on whether the stock is now attractively valued after its pullback, suggesting some investors may be rotating from momentum trading to a fundamentals-based reassessment of earnings and guidance. A Look At Northrop Grumman (NOC) Valuation After Its Recent Share Price Pullback
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts still rate Northrop Grumman as a “Moderate Buy,” indicating Wall Street remains constructive overall despite the recent stock weakness. Northrop Grumman Corporation NYSE: NOC Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on NOC shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $765.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of 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, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $704.74.

Northrop Grumman 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.

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