Earnings Call Intelligence Subscribe
Management credibility scorecard

Northrop Grumman (NOC)

4 quarters tracked (Q4'25 to Q3'26) · latest call October 20, 2026
Get the next NOC call sheet
92%
Kept of 12 resolved
11
Kept or exceeded
1
Missed
14
Still pending
Share count, 3 yrs/yr · accretor

Score History

QuarterCall dateDisclosureFinancial qualityKeptMissed
Q3'26October 20, 20269/123 medium flags00Call sheet →
Q2'26July 21, 20269/121 high, 3 medium, 2 low flags11Call sheet →
Q1'26April 21, 202611/124 medium, 4 low flags40Call sheet →
Q4'25January 27, 202611/122 medium, 5 low flags60Call sheet →
Disclosure: the 6-item rubric, each scored 0-2, out of 12. Financial quality: flagged indicators by severity. Kept and missed count the prior-quarter promises scored on that call.

Promise Ledger · All Quarters

MarkedStatusPromise
Q3'26PendingPAC-3 SRM production awards expected 'later this year'
Not addressed on this call; no confirmation the award was received.
Q3'26PendingAir Force decision on accelerating B-21 into a larger program of record expected 'by year end'
Year end 2026 has not yet occurred as of the Q3 call; no update on this decision was given this quarter.
Q3'26PendingMRV first launch 'scheduled to launch later today weather permitting'
Launch date has passed since the Q2 call, but the Q3 transcript contains no mention of MRV at all; actual outcome not stated on this call.
Q3'26Pending2026 CapEx of $1.85 billion
Pending full-year completion. Issuer nine-month capital expenditures were $775M; Q3 alone was $306M. Keep cumulative and quarterly periods separate.
Q3'26PendingFY2026 MTM-adjusted EPS guidance of $28.60-$29.10
Year not complete; Q3 raised guidance by an additional $0.70 on top of the prior $1.20 raise, a positive revision, not yet a final delivered result.
Q3'26PendingFY2026 sales guidance of $43.75-44.25 billion
Full year not yet complete; Q3 reaffirmed the identical range.
Q3'26PendingFull year book-to-bill ratio of at least 1.25x
Period (FY2026) not yet ended; Q3 call raised the guide to 'at least 1.3', a revision upward rather than a delivery.
Q2'26PendingFree cash flow of $3.1-3.5B for 2026
Reaffirmed despite higher CapEx
Q2'26PendingFirst flight of Sentinel in 2027
Maintained commitment
Q2'26PendingB-21 to arrive at Ellsworth Air Force Base in 2027
Maintained timeline
Q2'26PendingExpect to reach Milestone B decision later this year on Sentinel
Reiterated for later in 2026
Q2'26MissedMargins expected to improve over the course of the year
Segment margins compressed to 9.7% from 10.8% in Q1
Q2'26ExceededHigh single-digit sequential sales growth in Q2
Delivered 10% sequential growth from Q1 to Q2
Q1'26DeliveredFree cash flow guidance of $3.1-3.5B maintained
Reaffirmed despite higher CapEx, working to offset impacts
Q1'26DeliveredMid-single-digit growth for 2026
Q1 organic growth of 5% consistent with full-year expectations
Q1'26PendingStrong book-to-bill over one this year internationally
Too early to assess but pipeline remains strong
Q1'26DeliveredInternational growth continuation in 2026
Seeing strong momentum though with new caveat about delivery timeline sensitivity
Q1'26PendingWe expect to reach the Milestone B decision later this year for Sentinel
Still on track with Milestone B expected later in 2026
Q1'26DeliveredWe are optimistic that we will come to an agreement with the air force this quarter on B-21 acceleration
Successfully finalized 25% production rate increase agreement as promised
Q4'25DeliveredInternational sales growing 20% in 2025
Achieved exactly 20% international growth for full year
Q4'25PendingIBCS significant double-digit growth driver in 2026
Still expected but no specific growth rate provided
Q4'25DeliveredSpace segment poised to return to growth
Space achieved 5% growth in Q4 after 18 months of declines
Q4'25DeliveredFree cash flow $3.1-3.5B for 2026
Reaffirmed range despite higher CapEx
Q4'25DeliveredSegment OM rate in low to mid 11% range for 2026
Maintained guidance range despite lower sales expectations
Q4'25DeliveredMid-single digit organic sales growth in 2026
Guidance of $43.5-44B represents mid-single digit growth
Q4'25DeliveredLRIP Lot 3 and Lot 5 advanced procurement awards later this year
Both awards received in Q4 as promised
Each row is a promise from the prior call, scored against the quarter in "Marked". Kept-promise rate counts resolved promises only; pending is excluded.
Promise-kept rate counts resolved promises only (pending excluded).
Scores, kept-promise rates, and flags on this site reflect the author's opinion, applying a stated methodology to statements management made on public earnings calls. Informational and educational purposes only - not investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Sources believed reliable but not guaranteed; the author may hold positions in the securities discussed.

Follow what management promises next

Get free previews of our earnings-call research: the key changes, management scores, and questions worth investigating. Subscribe for full call sheets and deeper analysis.

Subscriptions are managed by Substack. If the form does not load, subscribe directly. Or follow the RSS feed.