Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC Sells 235 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC cut its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 13.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,499 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 235 shares during the quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $703,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 557 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $261,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 1,375 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $645,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 3,057 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,435,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 198.7% in the 4th quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. now owns 4,002 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,878,000 after acquiring an additional 2,662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,318 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,088,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $304,217.72. This represents a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,243,053.80. The trade was a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NOC. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 target price on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $542.88.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 2.5 %

NYSE:NOC opened at $487.22 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $469.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $495.03. The company has a market capitalization of $70.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57.

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

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in 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 leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman 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.