CWA Asset Management Group LLC Raises Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 89.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,257 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 593 shares during the quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $590,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 245.5% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $462.68 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.41 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $486.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $492.21.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. The company had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.18 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to reacquire up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $551.40.

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.