Argent Advisors Inc. Acquires Shares of 849 Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Argent Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 849 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $517,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 75.0% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 29.2% during the second quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 93 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on NOC shares. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday. Vertical Research reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $688.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $688.72.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NOC opened at $693.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1-year low of $426.24 and a 1-year high of $705.45. The stock has a market cap of $98.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.79 and a beta of 0.05. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $597.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $587.22.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total value of $54,715.76. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. This represents a 2.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,000 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total transaction of $4,200,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 194,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $116,761,200. This trade represents a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 10,097 shares of company stock worth $6,099,716. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat, stronger margins, record backlog and cash flow — Northrop reported higher-than-expected EPS and revenue, expanded operating margin, produced strong free cash flow and a record backlog that supports future revenue visibility. Northrop Grumman posts higher quarterly profit
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifting forecasts and price targets — multiple firms have boosted earnings/price targets and reiterated buy ratings after the Q4 beat (notable increases cited by several outlets), providing near-term upside support. These Analysts Boost Their Forecasts On Northrop Grumman
• Positive Sentiment: Technical breakout / buy signal attracted capital — MarketBeat highlights a breakout from consolidation into new highs and says the move was confirmed after earnings, which has drawn momentum buyers and institutional inflows. Northrop Grumman Flashed a Buy Signal—And the Market Backed It Up
• Positive Sentiment: Contracts, partnerships and defense tailwinds — coverage notes new strategic contracts and global defense partnerships, and cites geopolitical demand as a driver for sustained revenue growth across segments. NOC Builds Momentum With Strategic Contracts
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term opportunity in advanced tech ecosystems — an analyst piece that highlights NOC as an enabler in quantum/advanced systems suggests multi-year structural growth, but the near-term revenue/earnings impact is uncertain. Quantum’s Next Winners? 3 Enablers
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious FY26 guidance disappointed some investors — management’s FY26 outlook came in below some expectations, which tempers near-term sentiment despite the Q4 beat. Q4 Beat, 2026 Outlook Disappoints
• Negative Sentiment: Buybacks paused to accelerate B‑21 production — management signaled pausing share repurchases while pursuing agreements to speed B‑21 output; this reduces one near-term shareholder-support mechanism even if it funds prioritized program delivery. Expect Agreement Soon To Accelerate B-21 Production; Pausing Buybacks

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.