Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Acquired by Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 377.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 363 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 287 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $170,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective 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. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 3.6 %

NOC opened at $438.70 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $474.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $499.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 29.08%.

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

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.