Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Dana Investment Advisors Inc.

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,230 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 20 shares during the quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $536,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NOC. Ascent Group LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.5% during the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 4,337 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,891,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 1,467 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $640,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 965 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $462,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $902,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on NOC. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Barclays upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $467.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $523.20.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.3 %

NOC stock opened at $537.43 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $79.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.58, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $414.56 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The company’s 50 day moving average is $512.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $474.26.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.93 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $10.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.02 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.34 EPS. Research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at $2,317,000. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total transaction of $663,330.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,755 shares in the company, valued at $3,225,917.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,317,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,846 shares of company stock valued at $1,393,028 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.