Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Verus Capital Partners LLC

Key Points

• Verus Capital Partners reduced its Northrop Grumman stake by 13.8% in the first quarter, selling 2,043 shares and retaining 12,723 shares valued at approximately $8.68 million. Institutional investors collectively own 83.4% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $659, although Goldman Sachs lowered its target to $533 and maintained a neutral rating.
• Northrop Grumman exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $7.68 in EPS and $10.88 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 5.1% year over year. The company also increased its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share, equivalent to a 1.8% annual yield.

Verus Capital Partners LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 13.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,723 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 2,043 shares during the quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $8,680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 353 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 235 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased 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 worth $2,288,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 1,337 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $762,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Portfolios Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Portfolios Inc. now owns 1,789 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NOC. Wall Street Zen lowered Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $615.00 price target on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Northrop Grumman from $603.00 to $533.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $745.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $659.00.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC opened at $543.87 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $77.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.28, a PEG ratio of 3.46 and a beta of -0.10. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $534.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $620.03. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $479.02 and a 1 year high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. Northrop Grumman's revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.15 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $2.47 per share. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 31.39%.

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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