Virtu Financial LLC Increases Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC dramatically increased its Northrop Grumman stake in the fourth quarter, lifting holdings by 836.9% to 6,474 shares valued at about $3.69 million.
• Northrop Grumman beat quarterly expectations, posting EPS of $6.14 versus the $6.06 consensus and revenue of $9.88 billion, up 4.4% year over year.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share from $2.31, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $702.63.

Virtu Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 836.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,474 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,783 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,691,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. 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 buying an additional 1,895 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised 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 last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,978 shares in the last quarter. AXA S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,487.8% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 16,338 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $8,169,000 after buying an additional 15,309 shares in the last quarter. 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 worth $4,432,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "overweight" rating and a $800.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings cut Northrop Grumman from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Northrop Grumman from $660.00 to $620.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $702.63.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 5.1%

NOC opened at $521.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $74.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of -0.12. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $577.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $630.06. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a one year low of $481.28 and a one year high of $774.00. 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 (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The firm had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.06 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.92%.

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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