Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $716.82 and last traded at $712.5750, with a volume of 1606 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $709.11.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $693.60.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $97.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.52, a P/E/G ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.04. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $618.32 and its 200 day moving average is $596.73.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 31.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total value of $14,176,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 171,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $121,634,929.64. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total transaction of $65,029.40. Following the sale, the director owned 4,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,877,037.56. The trade was a 2.21% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,192 shares of company stock worth $20,341,145. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 367.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after buying an additional 1,978 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.8% during the second quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 13,353 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,676,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 13.7% in the second quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 507 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.