NOCQ3 2026 PreviewExpected October 19, 2026 · before market open
NOC Q3 2026 Earnings Preview — What to Watch
At the archive date, NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP /DE/ was expected to release its Q3 2026 10-Q filing on October 19, 2026, before market open. Last quarter: Northrop Grumman’s Q2 FY2026 revenue rose 5.1% to $10.876B, but operating income fell 23.1% to $1.096B as the prior-year training-services divestiture gain did not recur and Defense and Space program profitability weakened, partly offset by a sharply lower tax rate.
Analyst consensus captured from Finnhub and Financial Modeling Prep. This archived preview is no longer updated with later results; see the NOC page for retained reports.
What to Watch in Q3 2026
Drawn from management commentary in the Q2 2026 10-Q:
Sales growth was broad-based, led by Aeronautics Systems
Q2 FY2026 sales increased $525M, or 5%, to $10.876B, with sales higher across all four sectors. Aeronautics Systems rose 13% to $3.519B, driven by higher B-21 and other restricted-program volume, a $106M TACAMO increase, and higher B-2, F-35, and E-2 volume; completed F/A-18 production deliveries partly offset the growth.
Operating-income decline primarily reflects a prior-year divestiture gain and lower segment profit
Operating income declined $329M, or 23%, to $1.096B and operating margin fell to 10.1% from 13.8%. The decline principally reflected the absence of the prior-year $231M gain on the training-services divestiture, $61M lower segment operating income, and a $56M reduction in the FAS/CAS operating adjustment.
Defense and Space margins were pressured by program cost adjustments
Defense Systems operating margin fell to 7.5% from 12.7%, including a $68M unfavorable EAC adjustment on SiAW related to higher projected production-maturation and development/qualification costs; Space Systems margin declined to 8.6% from 10.6%, including a $91M unfavorable EAC adjustment on GEM 63XL largely related to higher projected cost to complete.