Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC Cuts Stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC cut its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 41.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,453 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,014 shares during the quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 200.0% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 75.0% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $709.77 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $426.24 and a 1 year high of $711.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company’s 50-day moving average is $612.48 and its 200 day moving average is $594.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.37, a P/E/G ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 0.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.61 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.39 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total value of $4,200,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 194,602 shares in the company, valued at $116,761,200. This trade represents a 3.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total transaction of $54,715.76. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,192 shares of company stock valued at $6,164,745. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $752.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $765.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $688.79.

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.