Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Purchased by Venturi Wealth Management LLC

Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 41.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 476 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,478 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. PBMares Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,421 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,335,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 2,262 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,194,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,288 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,208,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,937 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,023,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on NOC. 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 research report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 2.4 %

NOC stock opened at $448.59 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $418.60 and a 52-week high of $555.57. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $471.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $497.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 29.08%.

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.