Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Consensus "Moderate Buy": Twenty brokerages rate Northrop Grumman as a Moderate Buy (10 buys, 8 holds, 2 strong buys) with an average 1‑year price target of about $713.37.
• Q1 beat and guidance: Northrop posted Q1 EPS of $6.14 (vs. $6.06 est.) and revenue of $9.88B, and set FY‑2026 guidance at $27.40–$27.90 EPS (sell‑side average ~27.9).
• Near‑term headwinds and mixed sentiment: the stock has seen analyst cuts and a sector selloff amid concerns about faster B‑21 ramp costs, notable insider selling (~22,431 shares, $15.9M over 90 days), and technical weakness below moving averages.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $713.3684.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NOC. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $727.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Susquehanna restated a "positive" rating and issued a $752.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $815.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Vertical Research restated a "hold" rating and issued a $688.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $575.57 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $699.43 and a 200 day moving average of $638.25. The company has a market capitalization of $81.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.01, a PEG ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.04. Northrop Grumman has a 1-year low of $453.01 and a 1-year high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.Northrop Grumman's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.06 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 27.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 approximately $108,661.11. The trade was a 93.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total value of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,850,774.50. The trade was a 5.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,431 shares of company stock worth $15,924,404. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 38.1% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 489 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Petros Family Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the first quarter valued at approximately $337,000. Jacobsen Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the first quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the first quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.2% during the first quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 959 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $655,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages reaffirm bullish views — Morgan Stanley and Susquehanna kept buy ratings, and BTIG also reiterated a Buy, supporting a longer-term constructive view on NOC. Morgan Stanley Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Northrop Grumman (NOC) Susquehanna Remains a Buy on Northrop Grumman (NOC) BTIG Research Reaffirms "Buy" Rating for Northrop Grumman NYSE: NOC
• Positive Sentiment: Independent bullish research: Seeking Alpha upgraded NOC to a Strong Buy after the recent pullback, arguing the company’s exposure to the nuclear triad and defense backlog makes it attractive on dips. Northrop Grumman: The Nuclear Triad Winner Is Now A Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Citi’s analyst also flagged the selloff as overdone and said defense stocks can survive a Democratic midterm outcome, framing the pullback as a buy-the-dip opportunity for long-term investors. Defense Stocks Can Survive Big Win by Democrats in Midterms, Says Citi
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 results were a modest beat on EPS and revenue, and management kept FY‑2026 guidance largely unchanged — the report confirmed execution but didn’t raise upside expectations, leaving near-term sentiment mixed. Northrop Grumman's shares slip as outlook matches estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Sector-wide selloff and investor risk-off on defense exposure have pressured NOC: Citi highlighted that major defense names have dropped significantly since recent geopolitical events, contributing to the pullback. Defense Stocks Selloff Deepens. The Sector Can Survive a ‘Blue Wave.’
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup trimmed Northrop’s price target from $807 to $742 — still a Buy, but the cut signals reduced near-term upside expectations and may weigh on sentiment. Citigroup Lowers Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies moved to a Hold, adding to mixed analyst signals. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Receives a Hold from Jefferies
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction to the Q1 beat included concern about a faster-than-expected B-21 ramp and near-term ramp-related costs/inefficiencies, which investors view as margin pressure during the scale-up. Why Northrop Grumman (NOC) Is Down After Q1 Beat And Faster B-21 Ramp News
• Negative Sentiment: Technicals: the stock is trading below its 50- and 200-day moving averages and volume is below average — factors that tend to amplify downward pressure until momentum stabilizes. Market technicals for NOC

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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