Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Acquired by Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.

Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,693 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,202,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 102.6% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 735,600 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $388,448,000 after acquiring an additional 372,500 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,426,270 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,315,729,000 after purchasing an additional 141,816 shares in the last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth about $66,171,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $622,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 154.7% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 157,601 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $83,224,000 after buying an additional 95,724 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price target for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE NOC opened at $473.58 on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57. The firm has a market cap of $68.55 billion, a PE ratio of 16.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $476.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $500.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. Analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors 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 yield of 1.74%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has approved a stock 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 often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.