200 Shares in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Purchased by Kentucky Trust Co

Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 200 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $94,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC now owns 813 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. now owns 4,693 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,202,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,679 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $9,704,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Ridgeline Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth about $281,000. Finally, Portfolio Design Labs LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 125.8% in the 4th quarter. Portfolio Design Labs LLC now owns 1,041 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $489,000 after purchasing an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC opened at $471.25 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $476.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $499.98. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $418.60 and a 12-month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on NOC. StockNews.com lowered Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price objective on the stock. 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 issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.56.

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.