Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Stock Holdings Raised by Stolper Co

Stolper Co increased its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC – Get Rating) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,028 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman accounts for 3.4% of Stolper Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Stolper Co’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $7,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 59.4% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 7,390 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,305,000 after acquiring an additional 2,753 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 41.4% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,445 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the first quarter worth $1,514,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 21.6% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,390 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 11.0% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,890 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $845,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. 84.32% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC traded down $6.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $443.60. The company had a trading volume of 1,599,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,198,684. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The business has a 50-day moving average of $460.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $494.43. The company has a market cap of $67.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.08, a P/E/G ratio of 6.01 and a beta of 0.51. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $424.35 and a 1 year high of $556.27.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 26th. The aerospace company reported $7.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.57 by $0.93. The business had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.64 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 28.29% and a net margin of 13.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $6.00 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 22.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 27th were given a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 24th. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 21.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP David T. Perry sold 3,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.65, for a total transaction of $1,878,130.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 8,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,939.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP David T. Perry sold 3,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $469.65, for a total transaction of $1,878,130.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 8,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,093,939.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Sheila C. Cheston sold 2,547 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $467.81, for a total value of $1,191,512.07. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 24,249 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,343,924.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 10,534 shares of company stock worth $4,934,622 over the last quarter. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on NOC. Citigroup dropped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $544.00 to $488.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 27th. StockNews.com started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $615.00 to $535.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 27th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $700.00 to $655.00 in a report on Sunday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $520.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $508.13.

About Northrop Grumman

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Northrop Grumman Corp. engages in the provision of advanced aircraft systems. It operates through the following segments: Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems, and Space Systems. The Aeronautics Systems segment is involved in the design, development, production, integration, sustainment, and modernization of advanced aircraft systems for the U.S.