SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 38,515 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 78.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,311 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 38,515 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $5,279,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 291.7% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 94 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 1.8%

NYSE:NOC opened at $497.10 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $418.60 and a 1 year high of $555.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $490.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $482.42. The stock has a market cap of $71.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.54, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.07 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 36.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $490.00, for a total transaction of $485,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $156,310. This represents a 75.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 1,090 shares of company stock valued at $533,853 in the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on NOC. Wall Street Zen cut Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $545.31.

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.