Brown Financial Advisors Decreases Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Brown Financial Advisors lowered its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 950 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 33 shares during the period. Brown Financial Advisors’ holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,217.72. The trade was a 21.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold 291 shares of company stock valued at $129,184 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $544.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $449.98 on Tuesday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market cap of $65.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.88, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $470.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $497.29.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. On average, research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.83%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.08%.

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.