Sigma Planning Corp Trims Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Sigma Planning Corp decreased its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 84.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 983 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 5,195 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,836 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,477,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth $1,771,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,238 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,984,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Nicholas Hoffman & Company LLC. now owns 2,961 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,386,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,432 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $670,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of Northrop Grumman 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were 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 owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,863,180.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC stock opened at $488.22 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $462.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $465.71. The company has a market capitalization of $72.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.22, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $414.56 and a twelve month high of $496.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion during 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%. Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.50 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $1.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, January 26th. TheStreet downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Susquehanna cut 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $497.23.

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.