Nuance Investments LLC Decreases Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Nuance Investments LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 81.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,403 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 40,334 shares during the period. Nuance Investments LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $5,729,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,457,274,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth $491,985,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 11.8% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,933,061 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,466,472,000 after buying an additional 308,680 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 26.7% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,051,226 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $640,534,000 after buying an additional 221,431 shares during the period. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 49,898.2% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 169,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $84,744,000 after buying an additional 169,155 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total transaction of $65,029.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. This trade represents a 2.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.00, for a total transaction of $1,845,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 191,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $117,835,230. This trade represents a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,192 shares of company stock worth $6,164,745. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on NOC shares. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price objective (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of 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. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and issued a $752.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Vertical Research reissued a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $688.79.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $709.77 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $612.48 and a 200 day moving average of $595.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $100.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.37, a P/E/G ratio of 5.27 and a beta of 0.04. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $426.24 and a 12 month high of $711.88.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced 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 the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side 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, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.