Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Crewe Advisors LLC

Crewe Advisors LLC cut its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 44.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 250 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 202 shares during the quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $117,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 102.6% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 735,600 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $388,448,000 after acquiring an additional 372,500 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,426,270 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,315,729,000 after acquiring an additional 141,816 shares during the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $66,171,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $622,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 154.7% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 157,601 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $83,224,000 after acquiring an additional 95,724 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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 shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 1,222 shares of company stock worth $647,025 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 2.3 %

NYSE NOC opened at $471.17 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $478.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $499.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.04 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.31.

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.