Kathy Warden Sells 20,000 Shares of Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Stock

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) CEO Kathy Warden sold 20,000 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total value 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 $121,634,929.64. This represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $679.37 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $620.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $597.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $96.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.32, a P/E/G ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 0.04. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $426.24 and a 52-week high of $715.61.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.39 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 31.72%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NOC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,835,097,000 after acquiring an additional 209,135 shares during the period. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,457,274,000. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 39.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,958,151,000 after purchasing an additional 970,029 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,149,478 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,793,478,000 after buying an additional 17,948 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,125,139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,781,986,000 after buying an additional 128,855 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Northrop Grumman

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

• Positive Sentiment: NOC and Poland’s Niewiadow‑PGM plan to produce more than 180,000 155mm artillery shells per year in Poland — a potential multi-year manufacturing win that expands European production capacity and could add stable, defense-driven revenue/backlog. Northrop Grumman and Polish arms maker aim to produce more than 180,000 artillery shells a year in Poland
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $2.31 per share (payable Mar 11; ex‑div Feb 23), reinforcing capital return policy and supporting income‑oriented investors. Northrop Grumman Board Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Kathy Warden will present at Citi’s Global Industrial Tech & Mobility Conference (Feb 18, webcast available). The event gives management a platform to articulate strategy and update investors, but forward‑looking remarks can both clarify and introduce volatility. Northrop Grumman to Participate in Citi’s 2026 Global Industrial Tech and Mobility Conference
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/commentary pieces flagged valuation and guidance risk: NOC beat Q4 earnings but provided guidance the market reads as conservative, and some writeups argue the stock is trading at a high multiple of free cash flow (~30x) for low‑to‑mid single‑digit sales growth — a catalyst for multiple compression. Is Northrop Grumman Stock a 2026 Buy After Its 2025 Earnings Beat?
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CEO Kathy Warden sold 20,000 shares (filed as a Feb 6 trade at ~ $708.82). Large executive sales can be interpreted negatively even when for personal reasons, and may amplify short‑term pressure on the stock. Insider Selling: Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) CEO Sells 20,000 Shares of Stock

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. 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. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $693.60.

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.