Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 11,669 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Van ECK Associates Corp reduced its stake in Northrop Grumman by 3.5%, selling 11,669 shares in Q3 and now holds 325,682 shares (about 0.23%) valued at roughly $198.45 million.
• Northrop Grumman beat quarterly earnings with $7.23 EPS (vs. $6.97 est.), set FY2026 guidance of 27.400–27.900 EPS, and analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" with a target around $693.60 after several target upgrades.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $2.31 per share (annualized $9.24, ~1.2% yield), while insiders sold about 32,431 shares (~$22M) over the last three months.

Van ECK Associates Corp lessened its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 325,682 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 11,669 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned 0.23% of Northrop Grumman worth $198,445,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NOC. Focused Investors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $129,054,000 after purchasing an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 74.5% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $6,739,000 after acquiring an additional 4,721 shares during the last quarter. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at about $2,818,000. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,015,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth $491,985,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $693.60.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $747.10 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $678.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $615.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $450.13 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The firm has a market cap of $106.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.65, a PEG ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 0.03.

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 business 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 posted $6.39 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue 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 forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.72%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $108,661.11. This trade represents a 93.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the company's 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404 over the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Northrop Grumman

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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