Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

Key Points

• PNC Financial Services Group trimmed its Northrop Grumman stake by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,953 shares and leaving it with 166,796 shares valued at about $95.1 million.
• Northrop Grumman recently raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share, a 6.9% increase, and also won a spot in the Pentagon’s drone program, supporting its defense growth outlook.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $6.14 versus $6.06 expected and revenue of $9.88 billion, while analysts currently maintain a Moderate Buy consensus and average price target of $704.74.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. decreased its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 166,796 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 3,953 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. owned 0.12% of Northrop Grumman worth $95,109,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 209,135 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,996,284 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,825,696,000 after acquiring an additional 63,223 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,624,658 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $990,046,000 after acquiring an additional 4,844 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 221,431 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 746,585 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $454,909,000 after acquiring an additional 29,478 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Northrop Grumman News

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $815.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $660.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Argus set a $785.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $742.00 to $628.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $704.74.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

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

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 the consensus estimate of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.06 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

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

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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