Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC cut its Northrop Grumman stake by 53.7% in the first quarter, selling 89,885 shares and leaving it with 77,347 shares valued at about $52.8 million.
• Northrop Grumman’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $6.14 versus $6.06 expected and revenue of $9.88 billion, up 4.4% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $702.63.

SG Americas Securities LLC lowered its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 53.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 77,347 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 89,885 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned 0.05% of Northrop Grumman worth $52,769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 353 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $201,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $134,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. increased its holdings in 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 last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,973 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $2,288,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NOC. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $800.00 price objective for the company. 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, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Two research 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, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $702.63.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC stock opened at $507.03 on Tuesday. 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 $72.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.56 and a beta of -0.12. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $481.28 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $570.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $629.62.

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. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The firm 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 company posted $6.06 earnings per share. The firm's 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. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $2.47 dividend. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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