Yacktman Asset Management LP Sells 3,903 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Yacktman Asset Management trimmed its Northrop Grumman stake by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,903 shares and leaving it with 193,937 shares valued at about $110.6 million.
• Insider selling was also reported, including sales by CAO Michael A. Hardesty and VP Benjamin R. Davies, with Davies significantly reducing his position.
• Northrop Grumman beat quarterly earnings expectations with $6.14 EPS on revenue of $9.88 billion, and it also maintained a quarterly dividend of $2.31 per share, equal to a 1.7% annualized yield.

Yacktman Asset Management LP decreased its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 193,937 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 3,903 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman makes up about 1.5% of Yacktman Asset Management LP's portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Yacktman Asset Management LP owned about 0.14% of Northrop Grumman worth $110,585,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NOC. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth about $82,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 905 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $566,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,146 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,195,000 after purchasing an additional 1,714 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,509 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,001,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total value of $107,748.06. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,850,774.50. The trade was a 5.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 151 shares in the company, valued at $108,661.11. This trade represents a 93.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE NOC opened at $549.40 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $678.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $636.03. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $453.01 and a 12 month high of $774.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.03 billion, a PE ratio of 17.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of -0.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.The firm had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.06 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.92 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 28.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $815.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Vertical Research reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $688.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, April 25th. Two 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $710.74.

Northrop Grumman Company 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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