Invesco LLC Has $3.17 Million Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Invesco LLC reduced its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,760 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 318 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman comprises 1.5% of Invesco LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Invesco LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,165,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bison Wealth LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 2,137 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,242 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 42,505 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $19,898,000 after buying an additional 2,532 shares during the last quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 8.5% during the 4th quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 2,139 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 134.7% during the 4th quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,696 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,198,000 after purchasing an additional 2,695 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock traded up $5.20 on Monday, reaching $461.31. 448,995 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 970,736. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $459.36 and its 200-day moving average is $464.13. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $414.56 and a one year high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $68.37 billion, a PE ratio of 33.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.50 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 55.49%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 in the last three months. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NOC shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 26th. TheStreet lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $494.33.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

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.