Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) CAO Michael Hardesty Sells 147 Shares

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) CAO Michael Hardesty sold 147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,850,774.50. This represents a 5.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.9%

NYSE:NOC opened at $722.73 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $437.83 and a 52 week high of $745.55. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $642.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $603.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $102.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.04.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be given a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.72%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on NOC shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Argus set a $785.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $693.60.

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.