Third View Private Wealth LLC Purchases New Stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Third View Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake of 5,063 shares in Northrop Grumman during Q4, valued at about $2.887 million, within a stock base that is roughly 83.40% owned by institutional investors.
• Corporate insiders have been net sellers recently — 22,431 shares were sold over the last three months for about $15.9 million (including sales by VP Benjamin R. Davies and CAO Michael A. Hardesty), leaving insiders with just 0.23% ownership.
• Operational and analyst momentum is positive: the Sentinel ICBM program is advancing toward a 2027 first flight, Northrop launched a Cygnus XL cargo mission, the company beat Q1 EPS estimates and set FY2026 EPS guidance of 27.40–27.90, and analysts' average rating is a Moderate Buy with a $719.58 average price target.

Third View Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,063 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $2,887,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Wexford Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total value of $1,575,226.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 151 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $108,661.11. This represents a 93.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total value of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,850,774.50. The trade was a 5.50% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 22,431 shares of company stock valued at $15,924,404 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $781.00 to $807.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Argus set a $785.00 price target on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Alembic Global Advisors raised Northrop Grumman from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $662.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, BTIG Research upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $719.58.

Northrop Grumman News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Sentinel ICBM program acceleration — Northrop and the U.S. Air Force say Sentinel development is advancing toward a 2027 first flight and initial capability in the early 2030s; this improves program momentum, schedule visibility and long‑term revenue visibility for NOC. Northrop Grumman, U.S. Air Force advance Sentinel ICBM program toward 2027 test
• Positive Sentiment: Official release/coverage amplifies the same Sentinel update (program testing, infrastructure prototyping, supply‑chain readiness) — reinforces contract execution and multi‑year revenue runway. Northrop Grumman and U.S. Air Force Accelerate Sentinel Program Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Space ops win — Northrop launched a Cygnus XL cargo mission to the ISS, demonstrating recurring revenue from space logistics and reliability in NASA/commercial programs. Space services help diversify and steady revenue. Northrop Grumman launches Cygnus XL cargo mission to space station
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment & targets lifting — at least one published note raised NOC’s price target and recent coverage highlights a modest uplift to fair‑value estimates, supporting upside to the stock vs. prior models. Northrop Grumman NYSE: NOC Price Target Raised to $710.00
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings momentum — coverage from Zacks and others notes Northrop’s strong beat history and favorable setup for another earnings surprise, backed by solid Q1 results and FY‑2026 EPS guidance (27.40–27.90). Why Northrop Grumman (NOC) Could Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/geopolitical backdrop — recent geopolitical developments are lifting defense names broadly; this is a macro tailwind but not company‑specific. U.S. Military Adopts Siege Strategy. What It Means for Defense Stocks.
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term TAM notes — industry reports highlight growth in precision navigation components (fiber‑optic gyroscopes) where Northrop participates; positive for addressable market but slower to impact near‑term revenue. Global Fiber Optic Gyroscope Market | Honeywell, Northrop Grumman...
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation caution — some analysis (e.g., Seeking Alpha piece) argues NOC isn’t cheap enough ahead of Q1 results, cautioning that upside could be limited if growth expectations slip. That could cap gains if investors rotate out. Northrop Grumman: Not Cheap Enough Before Q1'26

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $681.40 on Tuesday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1-year low of $450.13 and a 1-year high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business's fifty day moving average price is $710.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $636.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.78 billion, a PE ratio of 23.39, a P/E/G ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The firm had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.61 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.39 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.72%.

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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