Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Spire Wealth Management

Spire Wealth Management decreased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,183 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 40 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $555,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $40,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 1,222 shares of company stock valued at $647,025 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 2.3 %

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $471.17 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $478.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $499.42. The company has a market capitalization of $68.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. Equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to repurchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on NOC. Citigroup raised Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.31.

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.