Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $95.62 Million Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 2.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 156,933 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 3,380 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $95,622,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the second 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 period. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $6,457,274,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.5% in the second 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 in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,933,061 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,466,472,000 after purchasing an additional 308,680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 26.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,051,226 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $640,534,000 after buying an additional 221,431 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $600.00, for a total value of $4,200,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 194,602 shares in the company, valued at $116,761,200. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total value of $54,715.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 10,097 shares of company stock valued at $6,099,716 in the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $685.00 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.52, a PEG ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 0.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $601.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $590.52. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12 month low of $426.24 and a 12 month high of $705.45.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 31.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $715.00 to $781.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Vertical Research restated a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $765.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $680.00 to $815.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, December 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $688.79.

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.