Avior Wealth Management LLC Trims Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Avior Wealth Management LLC decreased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 21.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 808 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 226 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AIA Group Ltd lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 7,458 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 110.7% in the second quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 1,896 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $827,000 after buying an additional 996 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna International Securities Ltd. bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at $1,133,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 133.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,248 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $980,000 after buying an additional 1,287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 40.8% in the 3rd quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 3,660 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,933,000 after acquiring an additional 1,060 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Alembic Global Advisors lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $560.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. TD Cowen upgraded Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $474.00 to $575.00 in a report on Monday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $550.56.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,289 shares of company stock valued at $685,273. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $496.41 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.33 billion, a PE ratio of 30.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $521.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $486.55. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The firm had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.18 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 51.05%.

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.