Good Life Advisors LLC Sells 211 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Good Life Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,643 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 211 shares during the period. Good Life Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,240,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $40,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.8 %

Shares of NOC stock opened at $433.63 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $418.60 and a 12-month high of $555.57. The company has a market capitalization of $62.77 billion, a PE ratio of 15.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $472.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $498.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

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

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors 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 yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 29.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.56.

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.