Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Holdings Raised by Washington Trust Advisors Inc.

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 37.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 425 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $784,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Patten Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the third quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 3,523 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,551,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,371 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $613,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.2 %

NOC stock traded up $0.88 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $478.24. 256,235 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 940,874. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $457.07 and its 200-day moving average is $461.20. The company has a market cap of $71.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $414.56 and a 52-week high of $496.89.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.47. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $1.87 per share. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 55.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total transaction of $322,239.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,317.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on NOC. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price (down previously from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com lowered Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $541.00 to $473.00 in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Finally, TheStreet lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $494.33.

About Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense technology company in the United States, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and internationally. The company's Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems. This segment also offers unmanned autonomous aircraft systems, including high-altitude long-endurance strategic ISR systems and vertical take-off and landing tactical ISR systems; and strategic long-range strike aircraft, tactical fighter and air dominance aircraft, and airborne battle management and command and control systems.