Huber Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Huber Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 7.5% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,293 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman accounts for approximately 1.2% of Huber Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Huber Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $7,490,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,531,586 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,245,066,000 after buying an additional 109,941 shares during the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,457,274,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,115,519 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,554,299,000 after acquiring an additional 14,980 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,996,284 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,825,696,000 after acquiring an additional 63,223 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 26.7% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,051,226 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $640,534,000 after purchasing an additional 221,431 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on NOC. Vertical Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 target price on the stock. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $693.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,850,774.50. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total value of $65,029.40. Following the sale, the director owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. The trade was a 2.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404 over the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.3%

NOC stock traded up $2.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $738.62. 42,350 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,016,940. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $450.13 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $688.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $618.37. The company has a market capitalization of $104.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.46, a PEG ratio of 5.45 and a beta of 0.03.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

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.