Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Has $975,000 Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,237 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $975,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 960.0% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 53 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 241.2% during the 2nd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $440.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Alembic Global Advisors downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $560.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $523.20.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,317,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at $2,317,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $3,225,917.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC stock opened at $523.40 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $467.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $462.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.32. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $414.56 and a 52 week high of $523.62.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.93 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $10.22 billion for 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 firm’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $5.34 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 57.62%.

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.