Renaissance Technologies LLC Sells 83,700 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Renaissance Technologies LLC cut its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 89.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,000 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 83,700 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,822,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NOC. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 176.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,394,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after buying an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. AXA S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,487.8% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 16,338 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,169,000 after acquiring an additional 15,309 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,865 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,432,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.5%

NOC opened at $551.45 on Wednesday. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $78.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of -0.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $534.43 and a 200-day moving average of $618.70.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The aerospace company reported $7.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.82 by $0.86. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.48% and a return on equity of 24.25%. The business had revenue of $10.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.15 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2026 guidance at 28.600-29.100 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.97 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $9.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.31. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 31.39%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total value of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,405,299.29. The trade was a 2.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $628.00 to $587.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $666.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $745.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One investment 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $659.00.

Northrop Grumman News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Northrop Grumman this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Northrop Grumman entered into multi-year framework agreements valued at more than $3 billion to accelerate production of missile-interceptor components for PAC-3 MSE and THAAD systems. The agreements should improve production visibility and support demand from the United States and allied defense customers. Northrop Grumman Enters Into $3 Billion Landmark Agreements to Accelerate Missile Interceptor Production
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Defense Department selected Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to expand missile-interceptor production capacity. The government-backed effort reinforces the strategic importance of Northrop’s missile-defense business and could lead to additional orders as the U.S. replenishes weapon inventories. US signs deal to boost production of missile-interceptor parts
• Neutral Sentiment: Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares for approximately $52,000, reducing his holdings by 2.12%. Because the transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan and represents a small portion of his remaining ownership, it is less significant as a bearish signal.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts collectively maintain a “Moderate Buy” recommendation on NOC, indicating generally favorable sentiment but not a strong consensus upgrade. Northrop Grumman Corporation Receives Average Recommendation of Moderate Buy from Analysts

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.