Zacks Research Research Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lowered their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Northrop Grumman in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, September 24th. Zacks Research analyst A. Dutta now forecasts that the aerospace company will post earnings per share of $27.62 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $27.65. The consensus estimate for Northrop Grumman’s current full-year earnings is $25.14 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Northrop Grumman’s Q4 2025 earnings at $4.82 EPS.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.93 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $10.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.02 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.34 EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on NOC. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $467.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $477.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, June 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $474.00 to $575.00 in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $523.20.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $524.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.67, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.34. Northrop Grumman has a one year low of $414.56 and a one year high of $534.61. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $503.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $471.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1,402.9% in the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 12,925 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,186,000 after buying an additional 12,065 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $870,000. Norden Group LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the first quarter valued at approximately $778,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 7,574.5% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 123,637 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $57,879,000 after purchasing an additional 122,026 shares during the period. Finally, Red Mountain Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth $264,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,317,000. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total transaction of $663,330.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,225,917.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $695,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,317,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,846 shares of company stock valued at $1,393,028. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.62%.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company’s Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.