Aberdeen Group plc Cuts Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Aberdeen Group plc cut its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,153 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $7,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth $25,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 200.0% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 75.0% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 63 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total transaction of $1,575,226.29. Following the sale, the vice president owned 151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $108,661.11. The trade was a 93.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at $121,634,929.64. The trade was a 10.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 32,528 shares of company stock worth $22,024,120 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $722.73 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $102.57 billion, a PE ratio of 24.81, a P/E/G ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.04. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $642.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $603.67. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $437.83 and a 52-week high of $745.55.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NOC. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $765.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. Citigroup lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $752.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $693.60.

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.