Focused Investors LLC Has $114.17 Million Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Focused Investors LLC lessened its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 216,200 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 4,100 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman accounts for about 3.5% of Focused Investors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Focused Investors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $114,169,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. AIA Group Ltd raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 7,458 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,938,000 after buying an additional 1,242 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Wealth Management increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 110.7% in the second quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 1,896 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna International Securities Ltd. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,133,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 133.9% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,248 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $980,000 after purchasing an additional 1,287 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 40.8% during the third quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 3,660 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,933,000 after purchasing an additional 1,060 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NOC stock opened at $493.99 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market cap of $71.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.61, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $523.27 and a 200-day moving average of $486.19.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.18 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,289 shares of company stock worth $685,273. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on NOC shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Alembic Global Advisors downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $560.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective 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, TD Cowen raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $550.56.

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.