Old West Investment Management LLC Purchases New Shares in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Old West Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,780 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,085,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Focused Investors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $129,054,000 after acquiring an additional 8,300 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 29.4% in the 2nd quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $924,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during 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. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth about $1,015,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $491,985,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC opened at $709.77 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $426.24 and a 1 year high of $711.88. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $612.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $594.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.73 billion, a PE ratio of 24.37, a P/E/G ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued 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 net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.39 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total value of $54,715.76. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,281 shares in the company, valued at $2,414,826.48. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total value of $4,200,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 194,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $116,761,200. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 10,192 shares of company stock worth $6,164,745 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $765.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $727.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, December 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $688.79.

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.