TickerTalks
Browse all tickers →
TickerTalks›$NOC
NONOC

Northrop Grumman Corporation

$NOC·$81B·Aerospace & Defense·Industrials
$538.78-1.2%YTD-3.2%1Y-7.2%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-08-21: 13 posts2026-08-22: 7 posts113+6%
Price updated 14m ago·X counts updated 9d ago
NONOC
$NOCNorthrop Grumman Corporation
$538.78-1.24%113 posts+6%
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
Loading…

AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Top X posts

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $NOC, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Proven numbersWinding up for a moveAI verdict · as of 2026-08-30

Trading in a tight range and building pressure — a move looks likely soon, but the direction isn't clear yet.

Space, missile-defense, and Golden Dome exposure — a defense name that's actually cheap here.

Northrop Grumman is the aerospace/defense prime with the strongest exposure to space, missile-defense, and next-generation stealth programs (B-21). Shares are -3% YTD and -7% TTM at $546, and the crowd is now calling this the highest-quality-franchise defense name.

  • Revenue and EPS are running at scale: quarterly revenue ran $10.35B / $10.42B / $11.71B / $9.88B at a 21% gross margin, quarterly EPS at $8.17 / $7.69 / $9.99 / $6.16 — analysts model $44.1B and $28.84 EPS for the full year, so at $546 the stock is at roughly 19x forward, defensible for a prime with clean exposure and improving margin trajectory.
  • Golden Dome is the specific bullish lever: CEO Kathy Warden's Bloomberg framing of 'decent share of Golden Dome' is exactly the kind of dated-program commentary the market is starting to price into the sector — NOC's missile-defense and space-domain exposure is what makes it a natural beneficiary.
  • Cygnus XL is a differentiated moat: firing engines 21 minutes to raise ISS orbit ahead of Progress 96 makes NOC the only US commercial spacecraft with logistics capability — that's the kind of specific technical advantage that supports a durable franchise premium vs LHX and other primes.

An Oct 20 print that shows Space Systems margin expansion and any incremental Golden Dome contract color extends the coil; a cost-eating headline for the defense cohort, a specific B-21 program hiccup, or a Space Systems margin miss is what invalidates the setup.

Agrees with X sentimentX's bullish framing is well-anchored — the Golden Dome share, Cygnus XL exclusivity, and 'higher-quality franchise than LHX' framing are all real; the sample missing a cost-eating headline concern is the honest gap.

What to watch: The Oct 20 Q3 print — segment margins (Space Systems, Mission Systems), Golden Dome contract commentary, and B-21 program updates. A cost-eating headline is what caps the coil.

On the calendar: 2026-10-20 — Q3 earnings

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Bullish sentiment8 posts analyzed · as of 2026-08-30

Defense-focused posters treat Northrop as the highest-conviction long in the group, pointing to B-21, ICBM modernization and expected share of Golden Dome as durable multi-year drivers. The CEO's Bloomberg appearance framing accounting systems as ready for tighter contract scrutiny is read as a margin edge, and Cygnus XL's ISS reboost adds a rare commercial-space angle. Even a red-tape session with LMT and BA is dismissed as a trap rather than a directional call.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $NOC

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
Free, forever. No credit card.

What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Makes the B-21 stealth bomber, space systems, missile defense interceptors, and C4ISR electronics for US defense.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Aerospace & Defense sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $NOC.

Aerospace & Defense · Industrials

Defense budget tailwinds — NATO spending commitments and Pentagon procurement acceleration — support backlogs at prime contractors. Commercial space is a separate driver: launch cadence and satellite constellations are pulling RKLB and LUNR on their own momentum, independent of traditional defense spending.

What this means for $NOC

Partial — upstream oil & gas exposure ties to commodity price cycle; Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global player in t.

Top industry ETF

$ITAiShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF
+16.3%YTD
+16.3%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
16.9How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
10.3%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
11.1%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
4.3%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
1.8Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
28.1%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
20.5%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
1.0Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Jul 21, 2026$7.68$6.82+12.6%
Q1 2026Apr 21, 2026$6.14$6.06+1.3%
Q4 2025Jan 27, 2026$7.23$6.98+3.6%
Q3 2025Oct 21, 2025$7.67$6.44+19.1%
Next earningsTue, Oct 20·consensus EPS $7.17

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q1 FY26$9.9B+4.4%19.8%10.0%$6.16$-1.8B
Q4 FY25$11.7B+9.6%19.6%8.9%$9.99$3.2B
Q3 FY25$10.4B+4.3%21.4%11.9%$7.69$1.3B
Q2 FY25$10.4B+1.3%21.4%13.8%$8.17$637.0M

Forward consensus

5-year forecast · up to 18 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$44.1B$43.8B – $44.2B$28.84$27.98 – $29.2116
FY27$47.1B$46.5B – $48.0B$30.39$29.50 – $31.7916
FY28$50.0B$48.6B – $52.2B$32.89$29.67 – $35.4518
FY29$52.3B$51.6B – $53.2B$34.96$34.33 – $35.7511
FY30$55.3B$54.5B – $56.2B$37.72$37.05 – $38.579

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.0.5×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.23%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.+0.7%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.-9.6%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatMid float · 141.6M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today0.3% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellAug 3Mark A WelshDirector95 sh$52KSellMay 4Mark A WelshDirector95 sh$54K
+ 15 other (15 awards) in window

See when $NOC insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
Free, forever. No credit card.

SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

8-KOfficer or director changeAug 218-K — Item 5.02: Officer or director change
AI summary

Northrop Grumman (NOC) disclosed that the independent board approved a one-time performance-based equity grant to Kathy J. Warden, Chair, CEO, and President, on August 19, 2026, intended to recognize and retain her continued leadership. The specific grant size, performance metrics, and vesting terms are not visible in the excerpt. A one-time retention equity award for a sitting CEO signals the board's confidence in and commitment to Warden's leadership during a critical period for Northrop's defense programs.

8-KShareholder voteMay 218-K — Item 5.07: Shareholder vote
AI summary

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) filed an 8-K on May 20, 2026 disclosing annual shareholder meeting vote results (Item 5.07). Northrop Grumman is a Falls Church, Virginia-based global aerospace and defense contractor listed on the NYSE. Annual meeting results are routine governance disclosures.

S-3ASRAuto-shelf registrationApr 21S-3ASR
AI summary

NOC filed a S-3ASR (automatic shelf) shelf registration statement dated 2026-04-21. The shelf provides capacity to issue equity or debt as market conditions allow. No immediate capital raise is triggered; watch for prospectus supplements disclosing actual transactions.

+ 16 other (4 13Gs · 2 10-Qs · 2 earnings 8-Ks · 2 11-K/As) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC Makes New $8.34 Million Investment in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOCdefenseworld.net·3d agoWhy Northrop Grumman (NOC) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Termzacks.com·3d agoIs Northrop Grumman Expanding Its International Defense Business?zacks.com·5d agoNorthrop CEO on Defense Spending, Golden Dome Systemyoutube.com·6d agoNorthrop Grumman Is on a Wartime Footing, CEO Saysyoutube.com·6d ago

In themes

Explore the broader themes this ticker is being talked about under.

Space EconomyDefense & Drones

More in Aerospace & Defense

Peers in the same group — one click to compare setups, fundamentals, and chatter.

$SPCX$RKLB$AIR$HEI$FLY$RDW$LUNR$HAWK
Voices on X · top 8 · last 7 days

TickerTalks is a research tool, not financial advice. We surface social-attention data; we do not make stock recommendations. Past attention is not predictive of future price movements.

PrivacyTermsSupport