Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV Has $5.73 Million Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,210 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman comprises approximately 2.8% of Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Asset Planning Services Inc. LA ADV’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $5,730,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Traynor Capital Management Inc. increased its position 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 valued at $11,914,000 after purchasing an additional 2,209 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 232.1% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 48,826 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $22,914,000 after purchasing an additional 34,126 shares during the last quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 10.6% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 6,393 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,000,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC opened at $502.03 on Thursday. The stock 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 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $478.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $495.31.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The company had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.18 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.95 EPS for the current year.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Truist Financial started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised Northrop Grumman from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $595.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $550.94.

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.