Czech National Bank Has $16 Million Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 5.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,253 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,558 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $16,002,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 176.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,394,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,344,000. Everett Harris & Co. CA grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 1,324 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $621,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 33.8% during the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 843 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 4,237 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,989,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Argus upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $545.31.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 1.0%

Northrop Grumman stock traded up $5.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $488.43. 578,376 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 893,725. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.23, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. 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 fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57. The firm's 50 day moving average is $492.91 and its 200-day moving average is $482.36.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.07 billion. On average, analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 36.46%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares in the company, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,849 shares of company stock worth $1,831,461. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.