R Squared Ltd Invests $202,000 in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake 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 institutional investor purchased 430 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $481.56 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.84, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $478.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $497.74.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Northrop Grumman from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $595.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $550.94.

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.