Capital Analysts LLC Acquires 29 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Capital Analysts LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,006 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Patten Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% in the third quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 3,523 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,551,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Secure Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value 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 approximately $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at $917,317.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $450.21 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.40, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $459.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $464.29. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.47. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 5.23%. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 55.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird dropped 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. Finally, TheStreet cut Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.