Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Bought by Sage Capital Advisors llc

Sage Capital Advisors llc grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,323 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Sage Capital Advisors llc’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 245.5% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock worth $663,859 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. 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 research note on Monday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target 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, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $551.40.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Northrop Grumman stock traded down $3.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $459.14. 283,413 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 699,665. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The business’s 50-day moving average is $485.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $492.01. 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 $66.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.18 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to reacquire up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.05%.

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.