Golden State Equity Partners Acquires 52 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Golden State Equity Partners increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 779 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Golden State Equity Partners’ holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $365,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of NOC. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% in the 3rd quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $70,000. Rational Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $72,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on NOC shares. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Susquehanna increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $503.00.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC stock opened at $480.45 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $71.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $414.56 and a twelve month high of $496.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The business’s fifty day moving average is $462.59 and its 200-day moving average is $465.77.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.83 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $10.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.09% and a net margin of 5.38%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $5.50 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $1.87 per share. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 52.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction of $95,482.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.