Chiron Capital Management LLC Invests $717,000 in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

Key Points

• Chiron Capital Management LLC has acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation worth approximately $717,000, purchasing 1,401 shares during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors have increased their stakes in Northrop Grumman, with 83.40% of the stock currently owned by such investors.
• Wall Street analysts have raised price targets for Northrop Grumman, with an average price target of $588.85 and a prevalent rating of "Moderate Buy."

Chiron Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,401 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $717,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 790.0% in the 1st quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 89 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. Susquehanna upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and issued a $542.00 price objective (down previously from $580.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $625.00 price objective (up previously from $550.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $588.85.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC traded down $1.79 during trading on Thursday, reaching $579.22. 484,478 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 610,947. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $426.24 and a 12-month high of $600.99. The company's 50-day moving average is $558.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $512.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The company has a market cap of $82.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.35, a P/E/G ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.13.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.84 by $0.27. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.52% and a net margin of 9.74%.The business had revenue of $10.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.36 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Corporation 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 will be paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $368,706.33. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 7,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,819,575.04. This trade represents a 8.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total value of $3,793,275.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 201,602 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,964,243.54. The trade was a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,512 shares of company stock worth $7,805,146 in the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.