Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Acquired by Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc.

Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 11.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 955 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the quarter. Folger Nolan Fleming Douglas Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 24.3% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,387 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,041,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 12.3% during the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,229 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $972,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $21,492,000. XTX Topco Ltd increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 8.1% in the second quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 3,272 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,426,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 96.5% during the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 91,928 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $40,076,000 after buying an additional 45,151 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE NOC opened at $482.49 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $70.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.89, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $481.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $493.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The business had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.18 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.05%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 11th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $550.94.

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.