Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC Has $390,000 Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 33.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 843 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $390,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Everett Harris & Co. CA lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 1,324 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Oxler Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Oxler Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,116 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,340,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,344,000. Country Trust Bank lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 87,419 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $41,025,000 after acquiring an additional 4,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Kennebec Savings Bank now owns 1,266 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $598,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on NOC shares. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays dropped their price target 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, Citigroup upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold 1,222 shares of company stock valued at $647,025 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $482.79 on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $418.60 and a 52-week high of $555.57. The company has a 50 day moving average of $478.26 and a 200 day moving average of $499.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $69.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced 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 net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.08%.

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

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.