Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Stake Lifted by Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.

Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 10.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,106 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $986,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 112.8% in the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,566 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,606,000 after acquiring an additional 2,950 shares in the last quarter. Lincoln National Corp boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 11,067 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,181,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth approximately $333,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 11,144 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,217,000 after buying an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,358 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $636,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.0 %

NOC stock traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $468.86. The company had a trading volume of 856,805 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,012,167. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $414.56 and a 1 year high of $496.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $69.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.79, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50 day moving average of $465.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $465.32.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.83 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $10.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 52.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $509.38.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Northrop Grumman

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.