TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. Increases Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,679 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. TCV Trust & Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $9,704,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on NOC. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group dropped their price target on 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 cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NOC opened at $473.58 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $418.60 and a 1 year high of $555.57. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $476.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $500.03.

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

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

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.