Mark Welsh III Sells 95 Shares of Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Stock

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Director Mark Welsh III sold 95 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total transaction of $52,015.35. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NOC stock opened at $556.94 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $479.02 and a 12-month high of $774.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $534.54 and its 200 day moving average is $618.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.57 and a beta of -0.11.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $10.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $8.15 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. Research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $2.47 per share. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on NOC. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $815.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $785.00 to $655.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $603.00 to $533.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $655.30.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 39.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,958,151,000 after acquiring an additional 970,029 shares in the last quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 56,920.9% in the 4th quarter. J. Stern & Co. LLP now owns 421,955 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $240,603,000 after buying an additional 421,215 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 272.8% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 401,664 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $229,033,000 after buying an additional 293,909 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted 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 valued at $7,835,097,000 after buying an additional 209,135 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1,086.5% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 192,583 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $109,813,000 after acquiring an additional 176,352 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Northrop Grumman News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman secured multi-year framework agreements worth more than $3 billion to accelerate production of components for PAC-3 MSE and THAAD missile-defense systems. The deals improve revenue visibility and position NOC to benefit from rising U.S. and allied demand for interceptor replenishment. Northrop Grumman Lands Over $3 Billion in Missile Defense Deals
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Defense Department selected Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to help expand Patriot and THAAD production. The government-backed effort reinforces NOC’s strategic role in missile defense and could generate additional orders as the U.S. rebuilds weapon inventories. Lockheed, Northrop Team Up to Rebuild Weapon Stockpile
• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman is planning lunar infrastructure demonstration missions for NASA’s future moon-base effort. Although the opportunity is longer term, it highlights potential growth in the company’s space and national-security businesses. Northrop Grumman Plans Lunar Infrastructure Demonstration Missions for NASA Moon Base
• Neutral Sentiment: Northrop appointed former Chevron investor-relations executive Randy Sinclair to lead investor relations. The leadership change may improve communication with shareholders, but no immediate financial impact was disclosed. Northrop Names Randy Sinclair to Lead Investor Relations
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Mark Welsh III sold 95 shares for approximately $52,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The small sale reduces his holdings by 2.12% but is unlikely to materially alter investor sentiment.

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.