Rothschild Investment LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Rothschild Investment LLC cut its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. 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.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 36.8% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 8,348 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,398,000 after purchasing an additional 2,246 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,852 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,146,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.1% in 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 in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares in the company, valued at $304,217.72. This represents a 21.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 291 shares of company stock worth $129,184. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.5 %

NOC opened at $449.98 on Tuesday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $470.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $497.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35.

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 net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. On average, research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in 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 often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wolfe Research raised Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price objective on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman 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.