JLB & Associates Inc. Purchases New Shares in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

JLB & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 29,857 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,207,000. Northrop Grumman makes up 2.0% of JLB & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman completed a key design review for a major upgrade to the E-2D Hawkeye, a milestone that supports continued execution on the Navy aircraft program and could help underpin future revenue. Northrop Grumman clears design review for major E-2D Hawkeye upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: The company is expanding its military-training capabilities through live, virtual and constructive systems, immersive training and electromagnetic simulation tools. The broader training footprint could diversify growth and benefit from rising demand for complex-mission preparation by U.S. and allied forces. Is Northrop Grumman Expanding Its Presence in Military Training? Zacks military training article
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating momentum remains supportive: second-quarter sales increased year over year, earnings exceeded estimates and net awards of approximately $20 billion lifted backlog to a record near $105 billion. Management also raised 2026 sales and adjusted-EPS guidance, reinforcing expectations for defense-driven growth. Northrop Grumman gains as investors weigh stronger guidance, backlog, and defense tailwinds
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain generally constructive despite NOC’s underperformance over the past year. However, published price targets vary widely, suggesting uncertainty about execution, cash flow and the timing of major program contributions. Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Northrop Grumman Stock Will Climb or Sink?
• Negative Sentiment: Investor commentary has highlighted higher capital-spending requirements as a pressure on Northrop Grumman. Increased investment could weigh on near-term free cash flow even as it supports long-term production capacity and program growth. Investors’ Focus on Higher Capital Spending Weighed on Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC stock opened at $589.95 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $83.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of -0.11. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $540.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $612.15. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $479.02 and a 52 week high of $774.00.

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

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on NOC shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $550.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $785.00 to $655.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut Northrop Grumman from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $745.00 price target on Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $659.30.

Northrop Grumman 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.