Federated Hermes Inc. Has $6.68 Million Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 519.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,241 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 11,943 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,683,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NOC. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 291.7% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 94 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded up $3.87 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $541.38. 343,746 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 863,664. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $485.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $492.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57. The stock has a market cap of $78.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total value of $213,788.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 245 shares of the company's stock, valued at $112,883.75. This trade represents a 65.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was 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 directly owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $101,243,053.80. The trade was a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,182. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $548.88.

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.