RW Investment Management LLC Sells 480 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

RW Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 50.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 476 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 480 shares during the quarter. RW Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.8 %

NOC opened at $433.63 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $62.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $472.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $498.17. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.90%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.08%.

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.