Insider Selling: Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Director Sells 97 Shares of Stock

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Director Mark Welsh III sold 97 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total transaction of $54,715.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,414,826.48. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NOC traded up $7.83 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $573.39. The company had a trading volume of 370,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 916,625. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a one year low of $426.24 and a one year high of $640.90. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $588.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $551.77. The company has a market capitalization of $81.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.43 by $1.24. The business had revenue of $10.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.68 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.82% and a return on equity of 25.49%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $7.00 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.650-26.050 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. BTIG Research raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $680.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Susquehanna increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $650.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $646.94.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth $25,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company’s Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.