Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Acquired by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 22.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 27,894 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,193 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $15,905,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $7,835,097,000 after purchasing an additional 209,135 shares during the last quarter. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,818,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 13.4% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 22,318 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $13,599,000 after buying an additional 2,644 shares during the period. Nkcfo LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth approximately $2,986,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,987,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $551.54 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $468.29 and a 12 month high of $774.00. The stock has a market cap of $78.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.26, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of -0.11. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $643.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $633.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.06 EPS. The firm’s quarterly 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $2.47 per share. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.92%.

Key Stories Impacting Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman raised its quarterly dividend to $2.47 per share, a 6.9% increase from the prior payout, signaling confidence in cash flow and a shareholder-friendly capital allocation strategy. Northrop Grumman Board Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: The company won a spot in the Pentagon’s drone program, reinforcing its role in U.S. defense modernization and supporting the long-term growth outlook for its unmanned and autonomous systems business. Northrop wins spot in Pentagon drone program as U.S. pushes mass production
• Positive Sentiment: Northrop remains positioned to benefit from the Pentagon’s AI and digital modernization push, with investors viewing it as a key defense-tech winner in the broader military upgrade cycle. The Pentagon’s AI Pivot Supercharges Defense Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles focus on whether the stock is now attractively valued after its pullback, suggesting some investors may be rotating from momentum trading to a fundamentals-based reassessment of earnings and guidance. A Look At Northrop Grumman (NOC) Valuation After Its Recent Share Price Pullback
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts still rate Northrop Grumman as a “Moderate Buy,” indicating Wall Street remains constructive overall despite the recent stock weakness. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on NOC. Argus set a $785.00 target price on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $660.00 price target on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Vertical Research reissued a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $704.74.

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.