Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Purchases 1,307 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation by 8.0%, owning 17,683 shares worth approximately $9.05 million after acquiring 1,307 additional shares in the first quarter.
• Insiders, including VP Robert J. Fleming and CEO Kathy J. Warden, sold a combined total of 16,536 shares of Northrop Grumman worth over $8.3 million in recent transactions.
• Northrop Grumman's latest earnings report showed $7.11 EPS, exceeding estimates by 27 cents, with quarterly revenue increasing by 1.3% year over year.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 8.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,683 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $9,053,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 1,006 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $472,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,894 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,827,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $2,242,000. Finally, Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock traded up $2.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $589.97. 528,569 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 723,325. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $550.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $508.52. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a twelve month low of $426.24 and a twelve month high of $600.99. The company has a market cap of $84.47 billion, a PE ratio of 21.75, a PEG ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.15.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.84 by $0.27. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 25.52%. The business had revenue of $10.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.36 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. Analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 34.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on NOC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $542.00 target price (down previously from $580.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $547.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $625.00 price target (up from $550.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $588.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Robert J. Fleming sold 3,500 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $1,770,195.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,827 shares in the company, valued at approximately $924,041.79. The trade was a 65.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $3,793,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 201,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,964,243.54. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 16,536 shares of company stock valued at $8,306,857 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company's Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.