Alps Advisors Inc. Purchases 1,475 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Alps Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 49.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,428 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,475 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,698,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $6,457,274,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth about $491,985,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,933,061 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,466,472,000 after acquiring an additional 308,680 shares in the last quarter. 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 worth $640,534,000 after acquiring an additional 221,431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 49,898.2% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 169,494 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $84,744,000 after purchasing an additional 169,155 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total transaction of $65,029.40. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at $2,877,037.56. This trade represents a 2.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total transaction of $14,176,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 30,192 shares of company stock valued at $20,341,145 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $685.00 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $426.24 and a 12-month high of $715.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $618.32 and a 200-day moving average of $596.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The company had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average 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.