Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 2,879 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Securian Asset Management cut its Northrop Grumman stake by 44.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,879 shares and leaving it with 3,648 shares valued at about $2.08 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive overall: analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average price target of $710.74, while Bank of America recently raised its target to $750 and kept a buy rating.
• Northrop Grumman reported solid quarterly results, posting EPS of $6.14 versus $6.06 expected and revenue of $9.88 billion, both above estimates, while also providing FY 2026 EPS guidance of 27.4 to 27.9.

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 44.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,648 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 2,879 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,080,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,394,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 367.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,288,000 after buying an additional 1,978 shares during the period. AXA S.A. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,487.8% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 16,338 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $8,169,000 after buying an additional 15,309 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.7% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,865 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $4,432,000 after buying an additional 553 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Vertical Research reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $688.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and set a $752.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $727.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two investment 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $710.74.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,850,774.50. This represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total value of $1,575,226.29. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 151 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $108,661.11. This trade represents a 93.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.2%

NOC stock opened at $548.23 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 company's 50 day moving average is $671.77 and its 200 day moving average is $635.30. The stock has a market cap of $77.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of -0.11. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1-year low of $453.01 and a 1-year high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.Northrop Grumman's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.06 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NOC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.