The framework has shifted from markdown to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 8.1% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 10% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $705. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter.
Northrop Grumman
NOC · a US exchange · USD · Market cap $73.7B · 95,000 employees
Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally.
FAIL · Does not pass the screenAt the last full screen
2026-09-08
Screened 2026-09-08 · the tape above runs as of 13:00 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
This name holds its markdown label.
Northrop Grumman holds its Markdown at $518.58. The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 23 days.
| Phase | Markdown · caution |
| Quantitative state | The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 23 days |
| Price at the screen | $518.58 |
| Valuation | 16.48 trailing · 17.04 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | FAIL · score 10.0 |
| Beta | -0.11 |
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Business activity screen
| Test | Figure | Limit | What it means | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business activity | Excluded | Core business clean | Business activity: Aerospace & Defense | Fail |
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
What the Numbers Say It Is WorthThe Fair Value Range
Our framework reads AVOID: it trades above our $496.10 fair value estimate, moderate competitive moat, 5.10% revenue growth.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-09-08 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. The price runs 4.3% above the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 21 covering, consensus Buy. The average target sits +23% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish: a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.
Price History & ProjectionsWhere it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-09-08 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain WordsDefence Giant Fails Our Ethical Screen
Northrop Grumman turns government cheques into fighters, missiles and satellites that keep the defence budgets flowing. We are staying away, for two reasons that have nothing to do with whether the business is good. First, the shares trade above our fair value with a negative margin of safety. Second, it fails our ethical screen on business activity.
Revenue edges up just 4 percent while margins sit at 11 percent and ROE reaches 29 percent. The moderate moat and forward multiple of 17.3 times look steady, yet the ethical flag overrides any surface appeal. Twenty-one analysts still rate it a buy with a much higher median target, but that is not our call.
Risk sits with prolonged government spending cycles and shifting political priorities that can swing results fast. The ethical screen exists precisely to keep us out of sectors we choose not to own. Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 17.0xexpensive even after accounting for its growth |
| Trailing P/E | 16.5xreasonably valued |
| EPS, trailing | 31.47 |
| EPS, forward | 30.44 |
| Revenue growth | +5.1%slow but positive growth |
| Profit margin | 10.5%thin but positive margins |
| Return on equity | 27.0%an exceptional return on shareholder capital |
| FCF yield | 3.36% |
| Dividend yield | 168.00% |
| Debt to equity | 0.95moderate, manageable leverage |
| Current ratio | 1.17adequate liquidity, worth monitoring |
| Beta | -0.11barely tracks the market's swings |
| Short interest, float | 0.02% |
| 52-week range | 479.02 - 774.00 |
| Moat | MODERATE |
| Market cap | $73.7B |
| Employees | 95,000 |
The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to TradeNOC trades on a US exchange. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
Every Entry, As Written
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 10% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $705. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 10% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $705. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 4.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 10% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $705. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 10% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $705. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 10% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $705. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 10% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 13%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $705. Insiders have been net sellers over the past quarter. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
The framework reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
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Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference: not our reporting, not advice.
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
| Date | Insider | Title | Type | Shares | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-04 | Welsh Mark A III | Dir | Sale | 95 | $54,310 |
| 2026-03-02 | Simpson Kathryn G | Corp VP, GC | Sale | 873 | $650,385 |
| 2026-02-27 | Roeder Roshan S | CVP, Pres Mission Systems | Sale | 1,754 | $1,262,880 |
| 2026-02-19 | Simpson Kathryn G | Corp VP, GC | Sale | 194 | $141,158 |
| 2026-02-19 | Roeder Roshan S | CVP, Pres Mission Systems | Sale | 512 | $372,541 |
| 2026-02-19 | Hardesty Michael A | Corp VP, Controller, CAO | Sale | 147 | $107,748 |
| 2026-02-18 | Davies Benjamin R. | CVP, Pres Defense Systems | Sale | 2,189 | $1,575,255 |
| 2026-02-17 | Hardesty Michael A | Corp VP, Controller, CAO | Sale | 716 | $501,609 |
| 2026-02-17 | Simpson Kathryn G | Corp VP, GC | Sale | 779 | $547,294 |
| 2026-02-17 | Roeder Roshan S | CVP, Pres Mission Systems | Sale | 318 | $223,414 |
Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.
| Date | Politician | Party | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | Bill Keating | Democrat | Purchase | 1K–15K |
| 2026-03-27 | Alan Armstrong | Republican | buy | 1K–15K |
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $545.81 | -0.5% | $2.47 | $1,000 | 0.0% |
| 2 months | $670.78 | -19.0% | $2.47 | $813 | -18.7% |
| 3 months | $733.07 | -25.9% | $2.47 | $744 | -25.6% |
| 6 months | $555.81 | -2.3% | $4.78 | $986 | -1.4% |
| 1 year | $481.25 | +12.9% | $9.40 | $1,148 | +14.8% |
| 2 years | $421.64 | +28.8% | $17.89 | $1,331 | +33.1% |
| 3 years | $432.19 | +25.7% | $25.56 | $1,316 | +31.6% |
| 5 years | $345.91 | +57.0% | $39.06 | $1,683 | +68.3% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever NOC does next, these words stay.
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