Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Sets New 52-Week High – Here’s What Happened

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $719.69 and last traded at $718.6850, with a volume of 489768 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $701.12.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $752.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $777.00 to $778.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Vertical Research reissued a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $690.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $693.60.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $632.68 and a 200-day moving average of $600.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $102.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.87, a P/E/G ratio of 5.22 and a beta of 0.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.97 by $0.26. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.61 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.39 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 9.6% 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 predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd will be issued a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 31.72%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $708.82, for a total transaction of $14,176,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 171,602 shares in the company, valued at $121,634,929.64. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total value of $54,715.76. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,414,826.48. This represents a 2.22% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 30,192 shares of company stock valued at $20,341,145 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Karpus Management Inc. purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 200.0% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% 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.