Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. decreased its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 8.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 63,324 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 6,107 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $38,585,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NOC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,421,645 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,710,554,000 after purchasing an additional 155,344 shares during the period. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,457,274,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,115,519 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,554,299,000 after buying an additional 14,980 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,933,061 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,466,472,000 after buying an additional 308,680 shares during the period. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $491,985,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $615.00, for a total value of $1,845,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 191,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $117,835,230. This represents a 1.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total transaction of $54,715.76. Following the sale, the director owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,414,826.48. This represents a 2.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 10,097 shares of company stock valued at $6,099,716 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More Northrop Grumman News

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. BTIG Research upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $765.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors raised Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $688.72.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.7%

NOC opened at $693.95 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $597.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $587.22. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1-year low of $426.24 and a 1-year high of $705.45. 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 (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $11.71 billion during 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%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.39 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

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

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.