Talbot Financial LLC Grows Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Talbot Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,696 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman makes up 1.4% of Talbot Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Talbot Financial LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $12,059,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NOC. Brookstone Capital Management grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 3,005 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,410,000 after buying an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 29,695 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $13,936,000 after purchasing an additional 1,691 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 2,043 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $959,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Sage Capital Advisors llc boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 7,323 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,437,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 32,602 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $15,300,000 after buying an additional 1,470 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859 in the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE NOC traded up $14.42 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $473.11. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 494,447 shares, compared to its average volume of 719,196. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $484.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $493.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.97. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $418.60 and a 1 year high of $555.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. The business had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.18 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the aerospace company to repurchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 51.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $595.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $551.40.

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.