Sterling Investment Counsel LLC Has $218,000 Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC decreased its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 12.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 436 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 60 shares during the quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $218,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 790.0% during the 1st quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 89 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NOC. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $480.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $625.00 target price (up previously from $550.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $588.85.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $604.89 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $426.24 and a 12 month high of $610.85. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $584.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $528.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $86.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.30, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 0.10.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.84 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $10.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.15 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 25.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.36 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.06%.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

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.