Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,951 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 885 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. State of Wyoming lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 60 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 196.3% in the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% in the third quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 19.1% in the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,761.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 2.2 %

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $462.58 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $459.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $464.26. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $414.56 and a twelve month high of $496.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.32, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.43 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 5.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.50 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $1.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $450.00 target price (down previously from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, TheStreet lowered Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $494.33.

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.