Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 38.9% to 136,173 shares, worth about $83.15 million (≈0.10% ownership).
• Northrop beat Q4 expectations with EPS of $7.23 (vs. $6.97 est.) and set FY2026 guidance of 27.400–27.900 EPS; analysts have a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $693.60 and several firms raising targets (Bank of America $750, Deutsche Bank $765).
• Defense spending tailwinds — including a Pentagon request tied to the Iran conflict for roughly $200 billion and momentum on programs like the IBCS supplier summit — could boost contracts, backlog and investor sentiment for Northrop.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 38.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 136,173 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 38,102 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.10% of Northrop Grumman worth $83,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $1,987,000. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Private Wealth LLC now owns 9,340 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $5,326,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $279,000. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 258.5% in the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,004 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,143,000 after acquiring an additional 1,445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $403,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were 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 owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,850,774.50. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total transaction of $65,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at $2,877,037.56. This represents a 2.21% 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 valued at $21,969,404 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Vertical Research restated a "hold" rating and set a $688.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $693.60.

Northrop Grumman News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Pentagon seeks a roughly $200 billion request tied to the Iran conflict, which would boost defense budgets and benefit major primes like Northrop through higher program funding and backlog visibility. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Northrop’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) supplier summit on Capitol Hill signals active program engagement with Army, suppliers and lawmakers — positive for program momentum, potential follow-on awards, and political support. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary notes Northrop outperformed peers intraday despite declines — indicating relative strength and investor preference within the defense group even on a down day. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst comparisons of Lockheed Martin (LMT) vs. Northrop (NOC) highlight strong defense demand, backlogs and differing program exposures — useful for investors weighing relative valuation and program risk, but not an immediate catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Northrop set its Q1 2026 earnings release and webcast for April 21 — a near-term event that can move the stock depending on revenue, margin, and guidance vs. already-established FY2026 EPS range. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry test flights (e.g., Talon IQ for CCA Increment 2) reflect active unmanned and CCA development across the sector; incremental tech progress can be positive long term but is not an immediate earnings driver. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: General Dynamics won a $15.38B Navy contract for submarine support — a large competitor award that could influence program share dynamics and investor expectations for how defense budgets are allocated. Article Title

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.1%

NOC opened at $706.22 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $703.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $624.50. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a one year low of $450.13 and a one year high of $774.00. The stock has a market cap of $100.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.24, a P/E/G ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 0.03.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.61 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman's quarterly revenue was up 9.6% 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 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.72%.

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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