Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Vectors Research Management LLC

Vectors Research Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,654 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 166 shares during the period. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,245,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 5.4% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 19,726 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $10,417,000 after buying an additional 1,002 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,130,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,504 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $794,000 after acquiring an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 745 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $393,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 274.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,566 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,355,000 after purchasing an additional 1,880 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on NOC. Truist Financial upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wolfe Research upgraded Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Argus raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $500.00 to $575.00 in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $548.88.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $539.96 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $488.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $491.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.83 billion, a PE ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at $101,243,053.80. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were 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 represents a 65.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,182. 0.23% 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.