Waldron Private Wealth LLC Lowers Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Waldron Private Wealth LLC trimmed its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,132 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 36 shares during the quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $929,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,402.9% during the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 12,925 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,186,000 after buying an additional 12,065 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the first quarter valued at approximately $870,000. Norden Group LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter worth approximately $778,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 7,574.5% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 123,637 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $57,879,000 after acquiring an additional 122,026 shares during the period. Finally, Red Mountain Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $264,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total value of $663,330.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 6,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,225,917.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total transaction of $663,330.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,225,917.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,317,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $523.21 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $523.62. The company has a market capitalization of $77.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.59, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $469.50 and its 200 day moving average is $463.09.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.93 by $0.43. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.44% and a net margin of 5.61%. The firm had revenue of $10.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.34 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.15 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.62%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on NOC. StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $593.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $467.00 to $509.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $523.20.

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.