Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Increases Stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation by 4.3%, bringing its total shares to 36,695 valued at approximately $18.5 million.
• Northrop Grumman reported an earnings per share of $7.11 for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and marking a 1.3% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Brokerages have varied price targets for Northrop Grumman, with Bank of America raising its target from $550 to $650, while Deutsche Bank set a target of $542.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,695 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,502 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $18,502,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 55,522.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,520,158 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $778,336,000 after purchasing an additional 1,517,425 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 23.4% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,139,333 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,631,390,000 after purchasing an additional 974,633 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,425.2% during the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,001,198 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $512,624,000 after purchasing an additional 935,554 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the first quarter worth about $369,205,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,266,301 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $6,792,479,000 after purchasing an additional 588,520 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE NOC traded down $3.66 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $572.49. 223,137 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 954,566. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a PEG ratio of 5.49 and a beta of 0.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.04. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $426.24 and a 52-week high of $600.99. The company's 50-day moving average is $575.08 and its 200-day moving average is $522.88.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.84 by $0.27. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.52% and a net margin of 9.74%.The business had revenue of $10.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.36 EPS. The company's revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. Analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $547.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $588.85.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company's Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.