Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Has $3.76 Million Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 4.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,008 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 305 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,758,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,288 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,208,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 506 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 18,562 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $9,802,000 after purchasing an additional 1,844 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4,969.7% in the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,853 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,035,000 after purchasing an additional 3,777 shares during the period. Finally, West Family Investments Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 1,207 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $637,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $489.64 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $70.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.28, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $473.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $493.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.68%. 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 share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to reacquire up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on NOC. Argus upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Truist Financial assumed coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 target price for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $542.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total transaction of $213,788.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 245 shares in the company, valued at $112,883.75. The trade was a 65.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. The trade was a 1.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.