Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. Sells 366 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 17.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,786 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 366 shares during the period. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% during the third quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $70,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $72,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock traded down $1.38 on Tuesday, reaching $484.84. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 525,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 996,876. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $414.56 and a 52 week high of $496.89. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $463.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $465.78. The company has a market capitalization of $71.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.83 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.50 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $1.87 per share. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TheStreet cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $509.38.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,317.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the transaction, 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.