IFM Investors Pty Ltd Has $7.32 Million Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd reduced its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,856 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 544 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $7,317,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mason & Associates Inc increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 9.4% in the third quarter. Mason & Associates Inc now owns 1,306 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 9.3% in the third quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 552 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.3% in the third quarter. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV now owns 12,010 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,342,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. X Square Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.0% in the third quarter. X Square Capital LLC now owns 3,427 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,810,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 81.7% in the third quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC now owns 856 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $452,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $547.44.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the firm’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 value of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at $2,317,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,490 shares of company stock valued at $747,372. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.8 %

NOC stock opened at $519.35 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.34. 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 $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $523.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $480.60.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.18 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.79%.

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.