Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Acquired by NBW Capital LLC

NBW Capital LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,806 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. NBW Capital LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $4,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.9% in the fourth quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 16,660 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,818,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP now owns 48,367 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $22,698,000 after buying an additional 1,786 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth about $604,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.6% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 212,514 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $112,222,000 after buying an additional 5,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AIA Group Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 20.0% in the third quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 7,458 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,938,000 after buying an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total value of $213,788.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $112,883.75. This trade represents a 65.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 755 shares of company stock valued at $342,972. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $473.57 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $68.55 billion, a PE ratio of 16.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $469.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $495.91. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.08%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus upgraded Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $574.00 to $545.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on 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. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price target on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $542.75.

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.