Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 356 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 11.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,370 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 356 shares during the quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,578,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% during the third quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $70,000. Rational Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $72,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 16.2% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 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 $573,321.01. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,761.95. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on NOC. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 26th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a 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 given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $497.23.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC traded up $12.62 on Thursday, reaching $487.19. 701,109 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 992,579. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $461.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $465.55. The stock has a market cap of $72.20 billion, a PE ratio of 35.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.35.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $1.87 per share. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 55.49%.

About Northrop Grumman

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.