Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 29.350-29.750 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 28.970. The company issued revenue guidance of $43.8 billion-$44.3 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $44.0 billion.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on NOC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $615.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citigroup raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $617.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $635.00 to $600.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird set a $675.00 price target on Northrop Grumman and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $620.00 to $580.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $641.83.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 2.5%

NOC opened at $552.82 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $521.83 and a 200 day moving average of $547.91. The company has a market cap of $78.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of -0.11. Northrop Grumman has a 12 month low of $470.06 and a 12 month high of $774.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 20th. The aerospace company reported $7.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $7.18 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $11.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.14 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 23.46%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.67 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman will post 29.51 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 31st were paid a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $547.53, for a total transaction of $52,015.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,393 shares of the company’s stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Northrop Grumman News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat and guidance raise: Northrop Grumman reported adjusted earnings of $7.89 per share, well above the $7.18 consensus estimate. Management raised its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS outlook to $29.35-$29.75, compared with the $28.97 analyst consensus, while revenue guidance of $43.8 billion-$44.3 billion remained broadly in line with expectations. NOC’s Q3 Earnings Call Highlights 2027 Growth and B-21 Spending
• Positive Sentiment: Record backlog supports future revenue: Backlog reached approximately $109.6 billion-$110 billion, up about 20% year over year. Investors viewed the backlog as evidence of strong demand across Northrop’s defense and space businesses, including the B-21 program. Management is targeting 5%-7% sales growth in 2027. Q3 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved: Robert W. Baird upgraded NOC from Hold to Outperform and raised its price target to $675 from $550. BNP Paribas Exane also lifted its target to $600 and maintained an Outperform rating, citing the “beat and raise” quarter and longer-term growth prospects. Northrop Grumman Analysts Boost Their Forecasts
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor focus remains on execution: The earnings discussion highlighted multi-year growth opportunities and strong defense demand, while the AUSA 2026 interview provided additional management visibility. However, RBC only raised its target to $550 and kept a Sector Perform rating, indicating that some analysts view the favorable outlook as already reflected in the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Spending and margin risks persist: Higher capital expenditures, B-21 investment requirements, margin pressure, and paused buybacks could limit near-term cash returns and create execution challenges despite the strong backlog. Are RTX Corporation and Northrop Grumman Ready to Break Out?

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and produces systems for government and commercial customers, with the U.S. government representing its primary customer base. The company operates across aerospace, defense, space, cybersecurity and advanced technology markets.

Its products and services include military aircraft and autonomous systems, space systems and satellites, missile defense technologies, command-and-control systems, cyber solutions, sensors, communications networks and other mission-critical systems.