Smithfield Trust Co Sells 6,259 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Smithfield Trust Co trimmed its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 90.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 630 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 6,259 shares during the period. Smithfield Trust Co’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $361,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 14,628 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $8,341,000 after acquiring an additional 730 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 353 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Themes Management Co LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,403,000. Diversified Portfolios Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Portfolios Inc. now owns 1,789 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,020,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Ellerson Group Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Ellerson Group Inc. ADV now owns 1,103 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $629,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.4%

NOC opened at $557.96 on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $468.50 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $629.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $632.56. The company has a market capitalization of $79.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of -0.11.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.06 by $0.08. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.80% and a return on equity of 24.72%. The firm had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.75 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $6.06 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 27.400-27.900 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 27.93 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $800.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $765.00 to $745.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $702.63.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.