Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC reduced its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 635 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 44 shares during the period. Consilium Wealth Advisory LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $298,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NOC. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on NOC shares. 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Truist Financial started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price target on the stock. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research raised Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $542.75.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $454.80 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $65.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 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. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $469.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $496.76. 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 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

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

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total value of $82,383.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $304,217.72. This represents a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 291 shares of company stock valued at $129,184. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.