Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Signaturefd LLC

Signaturefd LLC reduced its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 12.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,407 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 479 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,599,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $304,217.72. This represents a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 1.2 %

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $490.88 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $472.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $494.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Argus raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $542.88.

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.