Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Bought by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 31,981 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 3,321 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $15,990,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,421,645 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,710,554,000 after buying an additional 155,344 shares during the last quarter. Soundwatch Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth approximately $6,457,274,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 23.4% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,139,333 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,631,390,000 after purchasing an additional 974,633 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,115,519 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,554,299,000 after purchasing an additional 14,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 11.8% in the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,933,061 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,466,472,000 after purchasing an additional 308,680 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.5%

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $550.58 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $78.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 1.11. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $426.24 and a fifty-two week high of $640.90. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $582.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $558.32.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.43 by $1.24. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.49% and a net margin of 9.82%.The firm had revenue of $10.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.00 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.650-26.050 EPS. Research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.24%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of Northrop Grumman 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,281 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. The trade was a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.23% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on NOC shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $700.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 target price on the stock. BTIG Research upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $630.00 to $680.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $688.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $646.94.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company’s Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.