Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Stock Holdings Lessened by Catalyst Financial Partners LLC

Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 5.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,501 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 86 shares during the period. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $793,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 241.2% in the 2nd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 245.5% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 281.5% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 103 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,317,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,490 shares of company stock worth $747,372. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.3 %

NOC stock opened at $505.45 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $73.64 billion, a PE ratio of 31.32, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.34. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $418.60 and a 1 year high of $555.57. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $523.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $482.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $10.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.18 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $550.56.

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.