Compass Financial Management LLC Takes $1.31 Million Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,315,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Karpus Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Perkins Coie Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Navigoe LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $513.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $72.99 billion, a PE ratio of 16.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of -0.11. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $544.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $599.04. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $479.02 and a fifty-two week high of $774.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.15 EPS. Northrop Grumman’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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 31st will be given a dividend of $2.47 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 31.39%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of the 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,393 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,405,299.29. This represents a 2.12% decrease in their position. The sale 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 company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $615.00 target price on Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $500.00 price target on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $666.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and set a $653.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $661.30.

About Northrop Grumman

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.