Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Upgraded to Strong Sell at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) to a strong sell rating in a research report report published on Friday morning,Zacks reports.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $680.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $620.00 target price (down from $800.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded Northrop Grumman from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $640.00 to $525.00 in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, September 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $612.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $644.70.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:NOC opened at $480.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.17. Northrop Grumman has a one year low of $470.06 and a one year high of $774.00. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $531.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $559.90. The stock has a market cap of $68.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of -0.11.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The firm had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.15 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman will post 28.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st were paid a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 31.39%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 61,436 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,914,000 after purchasing an additional 4,041 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,169,195 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,707,203,000 after buying an additional 168,267 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 115,660 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $66,000,000 after buying an additional 8,706 shares in the last quarter. Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth about $3,308,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,298,141,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman integrated SRC’s Gryphon R1810 long-range radar into its Raid Hunter air-defense system. The upgrade is designed to improve detection and precision against multiple airborne targets, including drone swarms, potentially strengthening the company’s positioning in counter-drone and infrastructure-protection markets. Northrop Grumman Upgraded Raid Hunter With New Long Range Radar
• Positive Sentiment: Citi maintained its Buy rating on NOC, signaling that the bank continues to see value in Northrop’s defense portfolio and long-term prospects. Citi Remains a Buy on Northrop Grumman
• Positive Sentiment: Recent investment commentary highlights Northrop’s record backlog, raised guidance and dividend appeal after a significant year-to-date decline. Its latest quarterly results also exceeded earnings expectations, while full-year 2026 EPS guidance remains strong at $28.60–$29.10. As War Fades Away, It’s Time to Buy Defense Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor comparisons of Northrop Grumman and L3Harris focus on their dividends, backlogs and potential risks, but do not provide a new company-specific catalyst or material financial update. LHX vs. NOC: Which Defense Dividend Will Actually Protect Your Retirement?
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage with an Underweight rating, adding to concerns about valuation, execution or near-term upside. Barclays Initiates Coverage at Underweight
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen lowered its price target from $590 to $540 and assigned a Hold rating. Although the revised target implies potential upside from the recent trading level, the cut signals reduced expectations and may pressure the stock.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and produces systems for government and commercial customers, with the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies representing its primary markets. Its work spans advanced aircraft, autonomous systems, space systems, missile defense, command and control, cybersecurity, and other mission-critical technologies.

The company’s offerings include strategic and tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, aircraft systems, satellites, spacecraft, launch vehicles, missile-warning and missile-defense systems, secure communications, and cyber and information systems.