Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Stock Holdings Increased by Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC

Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 432 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 24 shares during the quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $203,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV now owns 12,210 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,730,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 25,386 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $11,914,000 after purchasing an additional 2,209 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 232.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 48,826 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $22,914,000 after buying an additional 34,126 shares during the last quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 541 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $254,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 6,393 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,000,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $502.03 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $478.61 and a 200-day moving average of $495.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $73.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.18 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.18 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.64%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 51.05%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares in the company, valued at $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders sold a total of 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $550.94.

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.