Virtu Financial LLC Buys 5,783 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Virtu Financial LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 836.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,474 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 5,783 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,691,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,835,097,000 after purchasing an additional 209,135 shares during the period. Nkcfo LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,986,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 111,927 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $63,822,000 after buying an additional 9,924 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,987,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 158,958 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $90,639,000 after buying an additional 2,025 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 5.1%

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $521.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $74.12 billion, a PE ratio of 16.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of -0.12. 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 Corporation has a 12-month low of $481.28 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $577.31 and a 200 day moving average of $630.06.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) 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 business had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.06 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $2.47 dividend. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 30.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on NOC shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $806.00 to $745.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $660.00 to $620.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $800.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $702.63.

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.