Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Invests $40,000 in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 241.2% during the 2nd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 245.5% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 281.5% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 103 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $523.14 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.22 billion, a PE ratio of 32.41, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $523.63 and its 200-day moving average is $484.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. The business had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.18 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 51.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $474.00 to $575.00 in a report on Monday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $550.56.

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.