Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC Has $203,000 Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

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 the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 432 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing 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.

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

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC opened at $502.03 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $73.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $478.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $495.36.

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

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,255 shares of company stock worth $663,859. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NOC. StockNews.com raised Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. TD Cowen raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.