Fourpath Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Fourpath Capital Management LLC lowered its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,940 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 179 shares during the period. Fourpath Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,668 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $783,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 6,065 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,846,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 856 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 477.3% during the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 127 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Citigroup raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.31.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $487.87 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $70.62 billion, a PE ratio of 17.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $478.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $498.76.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. Sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.08%.

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

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 1,222 shares of company stock valued at $647,025 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.