Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Independent Advisor Alliance

Independent Advisor Alliance lowered its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 167 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,086,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NOC. Caxton Associates LP acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the first quarter valued at $864,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter worth about $1,340,000. California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 233,602 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $111,816,000 after buying an additional 979 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,081 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,952,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beacon Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 33.8% in the 1st quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC now owns 313 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $150,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. TD Cowen upgraded Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays raised their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $474.00 to $575.00 in a report on Monday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $550.56.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC stock opened at $485.27 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $418.60 and a 52-week high of $555.57. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $519.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $487.03. The company has a market capitalization of $70.70 billion, a PE ratio of 30.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The company had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.18 EPS. Northrop Grumman’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 51.05%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,289 shares of company stock worth $685,273. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.