New York, February 11, 2026, 14:54 EST — Regular session
- Northrop Grumman shares dropped in the afternoon, stretching out a retreat from their recent high.
- Focus stayed on the name after a fresh CEO share sale filing and news of a Poland ammunition production framework.
- Investors now turn their attention to next week’s Citi conference, where management is set to speak, as well as the February dividend record date.
Northrop Grumman slipped 0.6% to $680.68 in Wednesday afternoon action, trading as low as $674.72 and touching $689.45 at the session’s high.
Shares have slipped for a third consecutive session, finishing Tuesday at $685, off 1.87%. That puts the stock roughly 4% under its recent 52-week high of $715.61, hit back on Feb. 9, according to MarketWatch data.
Talk lately has drifted away from quarterly figures for the defense contractor. Instead, the focus has shifted to how quickly new orders are turning into actual business. With Europe scrambling to ramp up production of 155-millimetre shells—the staple artillery round for Ukraine—investors are eyeing which suppliers get tapped as demand climbs.
Polish defense manufacturer Niewiadow-PGM announced Tuesday it has entered a framework agreement with Northrop to make 155-millimetre artillery shells in Poland. The company did not provide financial details or specifics about production. “The deal creates a basis for both the development of production in Poland and joint market initiatives,” said CEO Adam Januszko. Reuters
The latest U.S. securities filing revealed Chair and CEO Kathy Warden unloaded 20,000 shares of Northrop on Feb. 6, with weighted average prices landing between $705.84 and $711.14. After the sale, Warden’s stake stands at 171,602.4 shares. Insiders report these transactions via Form 4.
Northrop announced late Tuesday that its board approved a quarterly dividend of $2.31 per share. The payout lands March 11 for shareholders on record as of Feb. 23.
Defense stocks showed a split performance Wednesday. Lockheed Martin edged up 0.1%. RTX climbed 1.3%. But General Dynamics dropped 2.8% in afternoon trading.
Argus bumped its price target on Northrop up to $785 from $625 while sticking with its Buy rating, a research note cited by TheFly shows.
Even so, there’s a catch with those latest catalysts. The Poland deal amounts to little more than a framework; it lays out broad parameters, but stops short of a firm purchase order. Certification and production scaling could easily drag on, too, so investors are left speculating on the real impact for revenue and margins.
Investors are set to tune in as Warden takes the stage at Citi’s Global Industrial Tech and Mobility Conference on Feb. 18, slated for 9:40 a.m. Eastern. The dividend record date—Feb. 23—follows close behind on the calendar.
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