Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Arizona State Retirement System

Arizona State Retirement System cut its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,353 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,578 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $21,869,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after buying an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1,487.8% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 16,338 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,169,000 after buying an additional 15,309 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,865 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,432,000 after buying an additional 553 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages reaffirm bullish views — Morgan Stanley and Susquehanna kept buy ratings, and BTIG also reiterated a Buy, supporting a longer-term constructive view on NOC. Morgan Stanley Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Northrop Grumman (NOC) Susquehanna Remains a Buy on Northrop Grumman (NOC) BTIG Research Reaffirms “Buy” Rating for Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC)
• Positive Sentiment: Independent bullish research: Seeking Alpha upgraded NOC to a Strong Buy after the recent pullback, arguing the company’s exposure to the nuclear triad and defense backlog makes it attractive on dips. Northrop Grumman: The Nuclear Triad Winner Is Now A Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Citi’s analyst also flagged the selloff as overdone and said defense stocks can survive a Democratic midterm outcome, framing the pullback as a buy-the-dip opportunity for long-term investors. Defense Stocks Can Survive Big Win by Democrats in Midterms, Says Citi
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 results were a modest beat on EPS and revenue, and management kept FY‑2026 guidance largely unchanged — the report confirmed execution but didn’t raise upside expectations, leaving near-term sentiment mixed. Northrop Grumman’s shares slip as outlook matches estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Sector-wide selloff and investor risk-off on defense exposure have pressured NOC: Citi highlighted that major defense names have dropped significantly since recent geopolitical events, contributing to the pullback. Defense Stocks Selloff Deepens. The Sector Can Survive a ‘Blue Wave.’
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup trimmed Northrop’s price target from $807 to $742 — still a Buy, but the cut signals reduced near-term upside expectations and may weigh on sentiment. Citigroup Lowers Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies moved to a Hold, adding to mixed analyst signals. Northrop Grumman (NOC) Receives a Hold from Jefferies
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction to the Q1 beat included concern about a faster-than-expected B-21 ramp and near-term ramp-related costs/inefficiencies, which investors view as margin pressure during the scale-up. Why Northrop Grumman (NOC) Is Down After Q1 Beat And Faster B-21 Ramp News
• Negative Sentiment: Technicals: the stock is trading below its 50- and 200-day moving averages and volume is below average — factors that tend to amplify downward pressure until momentum stabilizes. Market technicals for NOC

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,850,774.50. The trade was a 5.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total value of $65,029.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,877,037.56. This trade represents a 2.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 22,431 shares of company stock valued at $15,924,404. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 2.1%

NOC stock opened at $575.57 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $699.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $638.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.01, a PEG ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.04. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $453.01 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly 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. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The company had revenue of $9.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $6.06 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 31.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $690.00 to $710.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $807.00 to $742.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price objective (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $800.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Argus set a $785.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $713.37.

Northrop Grumman 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.