Significant Wealth Partners LLC Buys New Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Significant Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 510 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,282,000. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 14.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,291 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $604,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,836 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,477,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,771,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,238 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,984,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (down previously from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $497.23.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $470.98 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $69.80 billion, a PE ratio of 34.94, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $414.56 and a one year high of $496.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $460.10 and a 200 day moving average of $465.12.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $1.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 55.49%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly 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 at the SEC website. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.