Peachtree Investment Partners LLC Makes New $2.33 Million Investment in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Peachtree Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,581 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,333,000. Northrop Grumman accounts for approximately 0.7% of Peachtree Investment Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,740,721 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,835,097,000 after buying an additional 209,135 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 39.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 3,434,041 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,958,151,000 after acquiring an additional 970,029 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,149,478 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,793,478,000 after acquiring an additional 17,948 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,125,139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,781,986,000 after acquiring an additional 128,855 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,666,517 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $950,265,000 after acquiring an additional 62,817 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $653.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $666.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $785.00 to $655.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $550.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $659.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $585.18 on Monday. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $479.02 and a 52-week high of $774.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $538.88 and a 200 day moving average of $613.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.11 billion, a PE ratio of 18.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of -0.11. 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 (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.25% and a net margin of 10.48%.The business had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.15 earnings per share. The firm’s 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, research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 31.39%.

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.