Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Stock: ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Increases Position

Key Points

• ZWJ Investment Counsel increased its Northrop Grumman position by 5.2% in the third quarter, owning 105,911 shares valued at approximately $51.2 million. Institutional investors collectively hold 83.4% of the company.
• Northrop Grumman reported quarterly earnings of $7.68 per share, beating estimates of $6.82, while revenue rose 5.1% year over year to $10.88 billion. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $28.60–$29.10 and pays a $2.47 quarterly dividend.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and average price target of $641.91, although several firms lowered targets and Barclays initiated coverage with an underweight rating amid program-execution and earnings risks.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 5.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 105,911 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,196 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman comprises approximately 1.4% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.07% of Northrop Grumman worth $51,206,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 7.0% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 61,436 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $41,914,000 after acquiring an additional 4,041 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,169,195 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $6,707,203,000 after acquiring an additional 168,267 shares during the period. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $3,308,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $1,298,141,000. Finally, AXQ Capital LP bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $1,461,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Northrop Grumman

Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman was selected to build a new variant of the U.S. Army’s Integrated Battle Command System, reinforcing its position in missile-defense and command-and-control programs. The company also disclosed a $21 million Army contract related to missile-defense command. Northrop Grumman selected to build new variant for U.S. Army’s Integrated Battle Command System
• Positive Sentiment: Several earnings previews point to potential upside from strong defense demand, increased production and higher sales guidance. Northrop has a strong earnings-surprise history, and analysts say the combination of favorable estimates and company fundamentals could support another quarterly beat. Will Northrop Grumman Beat Estimates Again in Its Next Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish Q3 preview argues that much of the negative news may already be reflected in the valuation, making defense exposure attractive if results and guidance meet expectations. Northrop Grumman Q3 Preview: Bad News Already Priced In
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street forecasters are revising expectations ahead of the earnings release, highlighting the potential for a meaningful reaction when Northrop reports. Top Wall Street Forecasters Revamp Northrop Grumman Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 expectations remain mixed: program-execution risks and a flat Earnings ESP could prevent a beat despite healthy demand and production trends. Northrop Grumman to Release Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage with an underweight rating, while Goldman Sachs reduced its price target to $518 from $538, creating pressure on the stock’s near-term outlook.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $640.00 to $525.00 in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $640.00 to $540.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $704.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, September 14th. They set a "buy" rating and a $612.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $641.91.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total transaction of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. This trade represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $496.03 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $470.06 and a 1 year high of $774.00. The firm has a market cap of $70.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.76, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of -0.11. The company has a 50-day moving average of $527.56 and a 200 day moving average of $554.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The business had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $8.15 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were issued a dividend of $2.47 per share. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.39%.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation NYSE: NOC is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and produces systems for government and commercial customers, with the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies representing its primary markets. Its work spans advanced aircraft, autonomous systems, space systems, missile defense, command and control, cybersecurity, and other mission-critical technologies.

The company's offerings include strategic and tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft systems, satellites, spacecraft, launch vehicles, missile-warning and missile-defense systems, secure communications, and cyber and information systems.

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