Victory Capital Management Inc. Sells 2,676 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Victory Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,219 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 2,676 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $29,381,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth $25,000. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $30,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total transaction of $1,575,226.29. Following the sale, the vice president owned 151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $108,661.11. This represents a 93.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total value of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,850,774.50. This represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $757.70 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.01, a P/E/G ratio of 5.62 and a beta of 0.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $675.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $614.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1-year low of $450.13 and a 1-year high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.39 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, equities 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 paid a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

Northrop Grumman News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Won a $225.1M Naval Air Systems Command contract to develop training materials for the E-130J program, providing immediate revenue and strengthening NOC’s role in airborne training systems. Northrop Grumman Secures a $225M Contract to Aid E-130J Program
• Positive Sentiment: Secured additional U.S. Space Force and Navy contract actions that expand its deep‑space radar and E-130J-related work, extending backlog and revenue visibility. Northrop Grumman Contracts Extend Backlog And Deepen Long Term Defense Ties
• Positive Sentiment: Awarded work to supply aircraft protection systems to Germany, reinforcing export and allied sales momentum. Northrop Grumman to supply aircraft protection systems to Germany
• Positive Sentiment: White House meeting where defense CEOs agreed to markedly ramp production of advanced weaponry — a policy/PR tailwind that implies higher future demand across prime contractors including NOC. Trump says defense CEOs agree to quadruple production of `Exquisite Class’ weaponry
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive: the stock carries an average “Moderate Buy” consensus, supporting investor confidence in shares. Northrop Grumman Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail investors and market commentators are rotating back into defense names amid geopolitical volatility, a flow that can amplify moves but is fickle. Retail investor buying holds strong
• Negative Sentiment: Pentagon plans to ban Chinese-origin rare‑earth magnets in military platforms starting 2027, creating a supply-chain re‑qualification and potential cost headwind for manufacturers that use high-performance magnets. This could increase sourcing costs and delays for some NOC systems depending on exposure. U.S. Defense Manufacturers Face A Rare Earth Supply Squeeze
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage highlights the broader industry scramble to build domestic rare‑earth supply chains—good long term, but costly and potentially disruptive in the near term. Why Trump Wants Magnets More Than Gold

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on NOC shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $752.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $693.60.

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.