Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Bought by Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC.

Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,019 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Americana Partners LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,737 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $815,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. James Investment Research Inc. boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. James Investment Research Inc. now owns 5,666 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,659,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 96.2% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 2,313 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 1,134 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 624 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $293,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 26.3% in the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 750 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $352,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. 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. Barclays cut 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, January 6th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 3.6 %

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $438.70 on Monday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $474.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $499.28. The company has a market cap of $63.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. Sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.