Vantage Investment Partners LLC Sells 2,435 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Vantage Investment Partners trimmed its Northrop Grumman stake by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,435 shares and ending with 76,643 shares valued at about $43.7 million.
• Northrop Grumman reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting earnings of $6.14 per share on revenue of $9.88 billion, both above analyst estimates.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $704.74.

Vantage Investment Partners LLC decreased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 76,643 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 2,435 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman accounts for about 2.9% of Vantage Investment Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Vantage Investment Partners LLC owned about 0.05% of Northrop Grumman worth $43,703,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $7,835,097,000 after purchasing an additional 209,135 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,996,284 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,825,696,000 after purchasing an additional 63,223 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,624,658 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $990,046,000 after purchasing an additional 4,844 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,051,226 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $640,534,000 after purchasing an additional 221,431 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 746,585 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $454,909,000 after purchasing an additional 29,478 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NOC shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Argus set a $785.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $800.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $704.74.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $556.01 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $78.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.40, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of -0.11. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $636.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $632.39. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a twelve month low of $468.29 and a twelve month high of $774.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.06 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a $2.47 dividend. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.92%.

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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