Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Marco Investment Management LLC

Marco Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,150 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 45 shares during the period. Marco Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $7,560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. London Co. of Virginia purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $165,786,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 74.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,174,556 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $517,028,000 after purchasing an additional 502,060 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 16,515 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,731,000 after purchasing an additional 2,723 shares during the last quarter. Phraction Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $677,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2,801.7% in the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 330,499 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $154,720,000 after purchasing an additional 319,109 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE NOC traded down $7.61 on Friday, hitting $480.45. The company had a trading volume of 1,371,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,120,454. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $414.56 and a 12-month high of $496.89. The business has a 50 day moving average of $462.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $465.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.60, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.83 by $0.49. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.09% and a net margin of 5.38%. The company had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 52.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. TheStreet downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $503.00.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147. 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.