Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Stock Position Lowered by JLB & Associates Inc.

JLB & Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 29,865 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 388 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman accounts for 2.0% of JLB & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. JLB & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $15,771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ascent Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.5% during the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 4,337 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,891,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in the second quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 1,467 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $640,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.4% during the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 965 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.1% during the second quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $902,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE NOC opened at $538.85 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $414.56 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $510.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $473.82. The company has a market capitalization of $79.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.68, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.34.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 earnings per share 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $5.34 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on NOC. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Northrop Grumman from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $477.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, June 21st. Alembic Global Advisors lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $560.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $593.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $467.00 to $509.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $474.00 to $575.00 in a research note on Monday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $523.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total value of $663,330.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,755 shares in the company, valued at $3,225,917.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at $2,317,000. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,225,917.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,846 shares of company stock valued at $1,393,028. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.