Simmons Bank Buys 3,556 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Simmons Bank sharply increased its stake in Northrop Grumman in the first quarter, buying 3,556 additional shares and lifting its holdings by 330.2% to 4,633 shares worth about $3.16 million.
• Northrop Grumman reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $6.14 versus $6.06 expected and revenue of $9.88 billion, while also reaffirming strong forward earnings guidance.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share from $2.31, and analysts currently hold a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of about $700.53.

Simmons Bank boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 330.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,633 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 3,556 shares during the quarter. Simmons Bank's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. boosted 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 boosted 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. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $495.53 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $552.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $627.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.15. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a one year low of $489.52 and a one year high of $774.00. The firm has a market cap of $70.38 billion, a PE ratio of 15.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of -0.12.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.95 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a dividend of $2.47 per share. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 30.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NOC. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $815.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Northrop Grumman from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $700.53.

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.

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