Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Sells 1,864 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc trimmed its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,317 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 1,864 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $15,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 291.7% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 94 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the vice president now owns 709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,217.72. The trade was a 21.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,632 over the last three months. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC traded up $13.62 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $469.92. 1,116,113 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 898,024. The firm has a market cap of $67.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.58, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $497.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $486.29. 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 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 32.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their target price for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wolfe Research raised Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $545.31.

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.