Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.11 EPS

21 Apr 2026, 09:12 by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat Gem

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC – Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The aerospace company reported $6.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.03 by $0.11, FiscalAI reports. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.97% and a return on equity of 25.57%. The firm had revenue of $9.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.75 billion. Northrop Grumman updated its FY 2026 guidance to 27.400-27.900 EPS.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $655.88 on Tuesday. Northrop Grumman has a 12 month low of $450.13 and a 12 month high of $774.00. The stock has a market cap of $93.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52, a PEG ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.04. The company’s 50 day moving average is $707.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $639.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 23rd were paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.72%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 95 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $684.52, for a total transaction of $65,029.40. Following the sale, the director owned 4,203 shares in the company, valued at $2,877,037.56. This trade represents a 2.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 147 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $732.98, for a total transaction of $107,748.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,850,774.50. This trade represents a 5.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 22,431 shares of company stock worth $15,924,404 in the last quarter. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 6,252 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,565,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. FIL Ltd increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 1,037 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $591,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Kirtland Hills Capital Management LLC now owns 1,626 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $927,000 after purchasing an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.1% in the third quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,972 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,201,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nicolet Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 360 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Northrop Grumman

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

Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat estimates — Northrop reported $6.14 EPS vs. $6.03 consensus and revenue of $9.88B vs. $9.75B consensus; margins and ROE remain healthy, which supports near-term earnings credibility. Read More.
Positive Sentiment: Demand environment and program momentum — Management cited elevated global demand, with strength in aeronautics and the B‑21 program helping revenue growth and near‑term backlog visibility. This supports medium/long‑term program value. Read More.
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst context and pre‑print positioning — Recent analyst notes and previews highlighted margin recovery as a key watch item and the consensus EPS/revenue estimates most analysts tracked into the print. These notes framed expectations but did not materially change the fundamental view. Read More.
Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance slightly below consensus — NOC set EPS guidance of $27.40–$27.90 versus a ~$28.01 consensus and revenue guidance of $43.5B–$44.0B (consensus ~$43.9B). The EPS range being under Street expectations appears to be the primary reason investors trimmed the stock after the beat.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $781.00 to $807.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $685.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $727.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $623.00 price objective (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Vertical Research reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $688.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $719.58.

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About Northrop Grumman

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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.