Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Founders Financial Securities LLC

Key Points

• Founders Financial Securities LLC cut its Northrop Grumman stake by 83.9% in the first quarter, leaving it with 503 shares valued at about $348,000.
• Northrop Grumman’s latest earnings beat expectations, with Q1 EPS of $6.14 versus the $6.06 consensus and revenue of $9.88 billion, up 4.4% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share, implying an annualized payout of $9.88 and a yield of about 1.9%.

Founders Financial Securities LLC decreased its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 83.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 503 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 2,624 shares during the period. Founders Financial Securities LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $348,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NOC. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. AXA S.A. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 1,487.8% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 16,338 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $8,169,000 after purchasing an additional 15,309 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,865 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,432,000 after purchasing an additional 553 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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, May 26th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $815.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Monday, June 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $702.63.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $513.27 on Wednesday. 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $567.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $629.33. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $481.28 and a 52 week high of $774.00. The stock has a market cap of $72.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.06, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of -0.12.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.06 earnings per share. The firm'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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is presently 30.92%.

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.

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