denkapparat Operations GmbH Takes $368,000 Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

denkapparat Operations GmbH purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 784 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $368,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $513.95 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $477.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $493.12. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57. The stock has a market cap of $74.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. Analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to reacquire up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total value of $82,383.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $304,217.72. The trade was a 21.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $500.00 to $575.00 in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $545.06.

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.