Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Rothschild Investment LLC

Rothschild Investment LLC cut its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,968 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 82 shares during the quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $924,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,385 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,315,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 36.8% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,348 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,398,000 after purchasing an additional 2,246 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.2% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 28,825 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $15,222,000 after buying an additional 1,157 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 3.0% in the third quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,852 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,146,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 1,937 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,023,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NOC shares. Wolfe Research upgraded Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. 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 report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price target on the stock. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $449.98 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $470.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $497.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.14 billion, a PE ratio of 15.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35. 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.83%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,217.72. The trade was a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders sold 291 shares of company stock worth $129,184. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.