Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Sells 1,176 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado cut its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 5.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 20,303 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,176 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $9,718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 960.0% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 53 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 247.6% in the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 73 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE NOC opened at $477.57 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $69.84 billion, a PE ratio of 33.40, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.33. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $496.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $441.64 and a 200-day moving average of $455.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.93 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $10.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.02 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.34 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.73%. 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 payout ratio is 57.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $440.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut Northrop Grumman from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $477.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, June 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $516.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total transaction of $663,330.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,225,917.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate 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.