Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co Trims Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co trimmed its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 619 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 47 shares during the period. Pine Valley Investments Ltd Liability Co’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 77.1% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,362 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,517,000 after buying an additional 2,335 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 814.7% during the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 10,464 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,911,000 after acquiring an additional 9,320 shares during the last quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,492 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,046,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. World Equity Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Finally, Ascent Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,822 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,263,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $542.75.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.3 %

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $454.80 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $65.84 billion, a PE 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 current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $469.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $496.76. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $2.06 dividend. 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 payout ratio is 29.08%.

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

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total value of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $304,217.72. The trade was a 21.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 291 shares of company stock valued at $129,184 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

About Northrop Grumman

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.