Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Director Mark A. Welsh III Sells 33 Shares of Stock

Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 33 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.66, for a total value of $15,630.78. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 4,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,929,217.18. The trade was a 0.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $475.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50-day moving average of $469.56 and a 200 day moving average of $495.32. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to repurchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Argus upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $542.75.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.