PDS Planning Inc Has $346,000 Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

PDS Planning Inc decreased its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 16.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 740 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 145 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $346,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% in the third quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth approximately $70,000. Rational Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 16.2% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,863,180.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 in the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC traded up $3.50 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $474.48. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 441,898 shares, compared to its average volume of 984,069. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $460.10 and a 200 day moving average of $465.12. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $414.56 and a one year high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.32 billion, a PE ratio of 35.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.47. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 5.23%. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.43 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $7.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $1.87 per share. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price (down previously from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com lowered Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $497.23.

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.