Morgan Stanley Lowers Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Price Target to $745.00

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $765.00 to $745.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 26.73% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $781.00 to $807.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Argus set a $785.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $690.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Vertical Research reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $688.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $713.37.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE NOC opened at $587.85 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $701.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $638.55. Northrop Grumman has a one year low of $453.01 and a one year high of $774.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.40, a P/E/G ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.06 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.72% and a net margin of 10.80%.The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.06 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman will post 28.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,850,774.50. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total transaction of $65,029.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,877,037.56. This represents a 2.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 22,431 shares of company stock valued at $15,924,404 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hopwood Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed its “buy” rating and maintains a strong $815 price target, signaling continued analyst conviction in NOC’s long-term positioning and program pipeline. BTIG Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece upgraded NOC to “Strong Buy,” arguing the stock trades below intrinsic value after the pullback and highlighting double-digit organic sales growth in Q1 and long-term strength from strategic programs. Seeking Alpha Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: RBC and other coverage note that Northrop remains well-positioned across strategic programs and weapons portfolios, supporting medium-term revenue and cash flow expectations. RBC Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley lowered its price target from $765 to $745 but kept an “overweight” rating, reflecting a smaller upside view while still positive on the franchise. Morgan Stanley PT Cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup trimmed its price target to $742 (still a “buy”), reducing near-term upside expectations even as it maintains a favorable stance on NOC. Citigroup PT Cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein and Jefferies issued “hold” ratings, adding to the mixed analyst tone and suggesting some caution among dealers despite the beat. Bernstein Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Despite beating Q1 estimates, the stock sold off as the company did not raise FY guidance and management highlighted higher near-term capex and ramp inefficiencies—factors investors view as margin/cash-flow headwinds. MarketBeat: Why Stocks Fell
• Negative Sentiment: Media coverage highlights investor concern that the company’s FY26 outlook is a “ramp-up” year rather than a breakout, and some articles flagged capex and margin recovery timing as reasons for continued volatility. MSN: Shares Slip

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.