Diversified Trust Co. Raises Stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Diversified Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 31.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,032 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 956 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,299,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,531,586 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,245,066,000 after purchasing an additional 109,941 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,996,284 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,825,696,000 after buying an additional 63,223 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,624,658 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $990,046,000 after buying an additional 4,844 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,051,226 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $640,534,000 after buying an additional 221,431 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 856,688 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $428,327,000 after buying an additional 9,860 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.2%

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $681.67 on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $450.13 and a 52-week high of $774.00. The company has a market cap of $96.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.40, a P/E/G ratio of 5.05 and a beta of 0.03. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $705.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $625.92.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.39 EPS. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. Analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current 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 given a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and set a $752.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $693.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total value 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 $121,634,929.64. This represents a 10.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 2,189 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $719.61, for a total value of $1,575,226.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $108,661.11. This represents a 93.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 32,431 shares of company stock valued at $21,969,404 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

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.