Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Sells 1,171 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT trimmed its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 91,815 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,171 shares during the quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT owned 0.06% of Northrop Grumman worth $62,640,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NOC. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,958,151,000 after purchasing an additional 970,029 shares during the period. J. Stern & Co. LLP raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 421,215 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 272.8% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 401,664 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $229,033,000 after purchasing an additional 293,909 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 worth $7,835,097,000 after purchasing an additional 209,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1,086.5% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 192,583 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $109,813,000 after purchasing an additional 176,352 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman’s Q2 earnings beat expectations, and the company lifted its full-year sales guidance while highlighting strong contract wins and a record backlog, reinforcing the investment case for the stock. Is Northrop Grumman (NOC) Undervalued As Earnings Beat And Guidance Rise?
• Positive Sentiment: Broader defense sector strength is helping sentiment, with defense ETFs benefiting from higher military spending, solid quarterly results across peers, and rising geopolitical tensions that could support future demand. Defense ETFs in Focus Amid Earnings, Conflict and Military Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles and analyst notes say Northrop Grumman may still be undervalued or better positioned than other industrial names, which supports investor interest after the earnings report. How Much Could a $5,000 Investment in SpaceX Be Worth By 2030? Here’s Why This Industrial Stock May Be a Better Buy Today.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain mixed, with UBS reportedly sticking to a Buy rating while TD Cowen and JPMorgan lowered price targets, suggesting expectations are still being recalibrated after earnings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Northrop Grumman also drew attention for its new robotic satellite servicing vehicle and mission extension pods, which may support long-term space systems growth but are not an immediate earnings driver. Northrop Grumman’s Mission Robotic Vehicle Launched Into Space; Operations Begin In 2027

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on NOC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $628.00 to $587.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $550.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $615.00 target price on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $785.00 to $655.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $655.24.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $542.09 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $535.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $622.09. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $479.02 and a 52-week high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $76.99 billion, a PE ratio of 17.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of -0.10.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. The business had revenue of $10.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.80 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $8.15 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were given a $2.47 dividend. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 31.39%.

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.