Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Acquires 3,599 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 1.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 205,079 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,599 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Northrop Grumman worth $105,002,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 55,522.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,520,158 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $778,336,000 after acquiring an additional 1,517,425 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,239,434 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,866,133,000 after acquiring an additional 461,307 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,030,644 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $952,962,000 after acquiring an additional 450,858 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 337.1% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 482,112 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $226,250,000 after acquiring an additional 371,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 24.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,733,680 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $813,599,000 after acquiring an additional 343,018 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NOC stock traded up $0.78 on Friday, hitting $514.65. The stock had a trading volume of 748,906 shares, compared to its average volume of 879,759. The business has a 50 day moving average of $489.32 and a 200 day moving average of $485.66. The stock has a market cap of $74.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.11 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $426.24 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.33 by ($0.27). Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.46% and a net margin of 9.19%. The company had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.07 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $542.00 price objective (down from $580.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $550.00.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $3,793,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 201,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,964,243.54. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $368,706.33. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 7,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,819,575.04. This represents a 8.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 16,569 shares of company stock worth $8,323,150. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.