Vectors Research Management LLC Decreases Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Vectors Research Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,820 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 79 shares during the quarter. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,489,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 150.0% during the 1st quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 135 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter valued at approximately $304,000. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.6% during the first quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,546 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $740,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 18.4% in the first quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 1,436 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $687,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1ST Source Bank increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 9.3% in the first quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 1,049 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $502,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC opened at $500.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $72.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $524.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $486.03.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The company had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.18 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 51.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,289 shares of company stock worth $685,273. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Alembic Global Advisors downgraded Northrop Grumman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $560.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $474.00 to $575.00 in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, 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 report on Monday, October 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $550.56.

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.