Sanders Capital LLC Has $1.17 Billion Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Sanders Capital LLC lessened its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,926,438 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 53,911 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman accounts for about 1.4% of Sanders Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Sanders Capital LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,173,817,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth $25,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 200.0% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.3%

NOC stock opened at $733.88 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a twelve month low of $450.13 and a twelve month high of $774.00. The company has a market cap of $104.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.19, a PEG ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 0.03. The business has a fifty day moving average of $691.50 and a 200-day moving average of $619.39.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The aerospace company reported $7.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.97 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $11.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.57% and a net margin of 9.97%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.39 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid 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, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on NOC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Argus set a $785.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and set a $752.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman 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, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,850,774.50. The trade was a 5.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 171,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $121,634,929.64. This trade represents a 10.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 32,431 shares of company stock worth $21,969,404 in the last 90 days. Corporate 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.