Silver Oak Securities Incorporated Acquires Shares of 742 Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 742 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $392,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NOC. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 241.2% during the 2nd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 245.5% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 281.5% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 103 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth about $52,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.8 %

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $519.35 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $523.54 and a 200-day moving average of $481.03. 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 twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.95 billion, a PE ratio of 33.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.34.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 53.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of Northrop Grumman 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at $2,317,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,490 shares of company stock worth $747,372. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NOC shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $474.00 to $575.00 in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $547.44.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.