Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Fortune Financial Advisors LLC

Fortune Financial Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,786 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 84 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman makes up 1.6% of Fortune Financial Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Fortune Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NOC. State of Wyoming raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 60 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at $29,000. IMA Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 196.3% in the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% in the third quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.1% during the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $430,103.35. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,863,180.69. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. TheStreet lowered Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Wolfe Research cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, December 14th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $494.33.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC traded up $2.07 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $456.57. 1,509,625 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 983,718. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $414.56 and a 52 week high of $496.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $458.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $463.21.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.47. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.50 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $1.87 dividend. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 55.49%.

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.