4,777 Shares in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Purchased by Aquatic Capital Management LLC

Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,777 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $2,242,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 291.7% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 94 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on NOC. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Argus upgraded Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $545.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value of $1,783,687.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total value of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares in the company, valued at $304,217.72. This represents a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,182. 0.23% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $484.09 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $492.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $489.38. The firm has a market cap of $69.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.08, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $418.60 and a 52-week 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.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.33 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.07 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

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.

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