Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Matrix Trust Co

Matrix Trust Co cut its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,495 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 107 shares during the quarter. Matrix Trust Co’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,318,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MGO One Seven LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 3,693 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,729,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at $696,000. Kingfisher Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at $1,359,000. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 116,442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $54,511,000 after purchasing an additional 6,898 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aspect Partners LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $329,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,317,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 6,755 shares in the company, valued at $3,225,917.80. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,317,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,879 shares of company stock worth $1,410,703. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC traded down $5.22 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $527.01. 45,763 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 879,805. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $516.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $476.17. The stock has a market cap of $77.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.22, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.93 by $0.43. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The business had revenue of $10.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.34 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 57.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $474.00 to $575.00 in a research note on Monday, July 29th. UBS Group increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $593.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.