Advisors Asset Management Inc. Acquires 308 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,875 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 308 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $4,437,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the first quarter worth $28,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the first quarter worth $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 75.0% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 29.2% in the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 93 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on NOC. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 price target for the company. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $688.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $720.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $646.94.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total transaction of $54,715.76. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. This represents a 2.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $567.44 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $80.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.41, a P/E/G ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $588.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $552.59. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $426.24 and a 12-month high of $640.90.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $2.31 dividend. 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%.

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.