Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 1,864 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lessened its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 32,317 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,864 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $15,166,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 291.7% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 94 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on NOC. 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 note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Northrop Grumman from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $545.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total value of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $304,217.72. This represents a 21.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value of $1,783,687.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,632. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $482.80 on Monday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.04, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $498.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $486.87.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.33 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.07 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.71%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

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.