Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Acquired by Claro Advisors LLC

Claro Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,958 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the quarter. Claro Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $917,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. State of Wyoming raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 60 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 196.3% during the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% in the third quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, West Tower Group LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total transaction of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at $917,317.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147 in the last ninety days. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on NOC shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 target price (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $541.00 to $473.00 in a report on Friday, December 15th. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered Northrop Grumman from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, December 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $494.33.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $478.66 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $457.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $462.07. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $414.56 and a 1 year high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.82 billion, a PE ratio of 35.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $10.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.43 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.50 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 55.49%.

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.