Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV Buys 1,313 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 5.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,825 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,313 shares during the quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $12,361,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $784,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 727 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $340,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 493 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE NOC traded up $3.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $428.85. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 33,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 986,042. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $459.14 and a 200 day moving average of $461.53. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $414.56 and a twelve month high of $496.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.78, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

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

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.87. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on NOC. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $513.23.

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.