Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Position Lifted by American Money Management LLC

American Money Management LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 12,943 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. American Money Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NOC. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.4 %

NOC stock opened at $511.86 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $478.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $492.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $74.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. On average, analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 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 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has initiated a share 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 reacquire up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Argus raised Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Northrop Grumman from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $500.00 to $575.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $545.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total value of $213,788.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 245 shares in the company, valued at $112,883.75. The trade was a 65.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405. 0.22% of the stock is 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.