Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Focused Investors LLC

Key Points

• Focused Investors LLC reduced its Northrop Grumman stake by 14.6% in the first quarter, selling 30,300 shares and leaving it with 177,400 shares valued at about $121 million.
• Wall Street analysts remain generally constructive on the stock, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $702.63, though several firms have recently lowered their targets.
• Northrop Grumman recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $6.14 versus $6.06 estimated, and increased its quarterly dividend to $2.47 from $2.31.

Focused Investors LLC trimmed its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 14.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 177,400 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 30,300 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman accounts for approximately 3.9% of Focused Investors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Focused Investors LLC owned about 0.12% of Northrop Grumman worth $121,029,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NOC. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $301,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,487.8% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 16,338 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $8,169,000 after purchasing an additional 15,309 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.7% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,865 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $4,432,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. UBS Group decreased 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. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $815.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $742.00 to $628.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $660.00 to $620.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $702.63.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $521.85 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.33, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of -0.12. The business's 50 day moving average is $574.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $629.90. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $481.28 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.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.The business had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.75 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.06 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Research analysts expect 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 was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

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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