Country Trust Bank Has $49.64 Million Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Country Trust Bank boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 87,057 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,652 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman accounts for about 0.9% of Country Trust Bank’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Country Trust Bank owned about 0.06% of Northrop Grumman worth $49,641,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Howard Financial Services LTD. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Howard Financial Services LTD. now owns 1,143 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,973 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,125,000 after buying an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. West Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.3% in the third quarter. West Wealth Group LLC now owns 412 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC now owns 4,253 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,425,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.9% in the third quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 278 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $169,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $696.63 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $710.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $633.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market cap of $98.87 billion, a PE ratio of 23.91, a P/E/G ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.04. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $450.13 and a 12 month high of $774.00.

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. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.39 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were given a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total value of $1,575,226.29. Following the sale, the vice president owned 151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $108,661.11. The trade was a 93.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. This represents a 10.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 22,431 shares of company stock worth $15,924,404. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $752.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $800.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $781.00 to $807.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Bank of America lifted 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, January 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $708.65.

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.