Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Appleton Partners Inc. MA

Appleton Partners Inc. MA reduced its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 74.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,533 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 15,858 shares during the quarter. Appleton Partners Inc. MA’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,371,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 75.0% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 1.9%

NOC stock opened at $709.77 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.37, a P/E/G ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.04. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $426.24 and a 52-week high of $711.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $612.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $594.59.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.39 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $752.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 15th. BTIG Research increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors raised Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $688.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total transaction of $54,715.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,281 shares in the company, valued at $2,414,826.48. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total transaction of $4,200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 194,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $116,761,200. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 10,192 shares of company stock worth $6,164,745 in the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.