Ares Financial Consulting LLC Takes $847,000 Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,486 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $847,000. Northrop Grumman accounts for approximately 0.8% of Ares Financial Consulting LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Focused Investors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% during the third quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $129,054,000 after purchasing an additional 8,300 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 74.5% in the 3rd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,739,000 after buying an additional 4,721 shares in the last quarter. Huntleigh Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,818,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 81,747 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $49,810,000 after purchasing an additional 3,215 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 22,318 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $13,599,000 after buying an additional 2,644 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $575.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $696.89 and a 200 day moving average of $637.94. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a one year low of $453.01 and a one year high of $774.00. The firm has a market cap of $81.70 billion, a PE ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The business 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 company earned $6.06 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and issued a $752.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Vertical Research restated a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $623.00 price target (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 9th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $815.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Argus set a $785.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $710.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total transaction of $14,176,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total value of $65,029.40. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,037.56. This represents a 2.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 22,431 shares of company stock valued at $15,924,404. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

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.