Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC Purchases 3,902 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 352.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,010 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,902 shares during the quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,402.9% in the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 12,925 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,186,000 after purchasing an additional 12,065 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter valued at $870,000. Norden Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the first quarter worth $778,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 7,574.5% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 123,637 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $57,879,000 after acquiring an additional 122,026 shares during the period. Finally, Red Mountain Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at $264,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $529.80 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.34. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $499.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $470.88. 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 12-month low of $414.56 and a 12-month high of $534.61.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.93 by $0.43. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.44% and a net margin of 5.61%. The business had revenue of $10.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.34 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.14 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NOC. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 9th. Alembic Global Advisors cut shares of Northrop Grumman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $560.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $593.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $474.00 to $575.00 in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $523.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

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

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.