Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Acquired by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 105,064 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,089 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.07% of Northrop Grumman worth $49,305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Argus upgraded Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $542.88.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 2.4 %

NOC stock opened at $506.88 on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57. The firm has a market cap of $73.37 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $476.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $492.88. 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 (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

About Northrop Grumman

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.