Apella Capital LLC Purchases 626 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Apella Capital LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 128.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,112 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $522,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth $53,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $472.19 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $418.60 and a 12-month high of $555.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $483.30 and a 200 day moving average of $493.62.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.18 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to repurchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.05%.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the firm’s 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 approximately $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $550.94.

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.