Donaldson Capital Management LLC Has $6.91 Million Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Donaldson Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 81.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,726 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 63,036 shares during the quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,911,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 1.9 %

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $495.98 on Tuesday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.50, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $470.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $494.93.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. Analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.08%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at $101,243,053.80. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were 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 owns 709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $304,217.72. The trade was a 21.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price objective for the company. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $542.88.

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.