Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Boosts Stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,913 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,046 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $12,137,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. First United Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 641.0% during the 2nd quarter. First United Bank & Trust now owns 778 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 673 shares during the last quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 29.4% in the second quarter. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh & Williams Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $924,000 after buying an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Focused Investors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Focused Investors LLC now owns 211,800 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $129,054,000 after buying an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 74.5% during the 3rd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,060 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,739,000 after acquiring an additional 4,721 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,015,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total value of $54,715.76. Following the sale, the director owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. The trade was a 2.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,000 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $615.00, for a total value of $1,845,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 191,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $117,835,230. The trade was a 1.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 10,097 shares of company stock valued at $6,099,716 over the last 90 days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $659.61 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $589.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $584.59. The stock has a market cap of $94.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.46 and a beta of 0.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $426.24 and a 52 week high of $677.30.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 33.24%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NOC shares. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $710.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and issued a $752.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 target price (down from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $700.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $656.82.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is a leading U.S.-based aerospace and defense company that designs, builds and sustains advanced systems, products and technologies for government and commercial customers. Formed through the combination of Northrop and Grumman businesses in the 1990s, the company’s portfolio spans manned and unmanned aircraft, space systems, missile defense, radar and sensor systems, and integrated command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) solutions.

The company’s work includes airframe and platform manufacturing, space hardware and satellite systems, advanced mission systems and cybersecurity services, as well as logistics, sustainment and modernization programs.