B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. Has $2.69 Million Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 21.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,735 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 1,583 shares during the period. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,692,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 2,067 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $970,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 16,856 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $7,910,000 after acquiring an additional 882 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $287,000. Challenger Wealth Management bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $618,000. Finally, American Trust raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 35.9% in the 4th quarter. American Trust now owns 2,084 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $978,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other 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 transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 3,849 shares of company stock worth $1,831,461 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen cut Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $545.31.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC traded up $4.97 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $484.36. The company had a trading volume of 1,304,434 shares, compared to its average volume of 895,507. 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 one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57. The firm has a market cap of $69.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.09, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $493.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $482.56.

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). Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.07 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is currently 36.46%.

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.