Guardian Investment Management Makes New $406,000 Investment in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)

Guardian Investment Management purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 792 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $406,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NOC. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 55,522.3% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,520,158 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $778,336,000 after buying an additional 1,517,425 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.9% in 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 during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position 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 during the period. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position 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 during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at $171,580,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Northrop Grumman stock traded down $7.82 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $495.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 387,597 shares, compared to its average volume of 876,577. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $485.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $483.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.95. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $422.69 and a 12-month high of $555.57. The company has a market capitalization of $71.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.55, a PEG ratio of 5.46 and a beta of 0.15.

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 the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.27). Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.19% and a return on equity of 25.46%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.07 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is presently 36.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $424.00 to $521.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price target on Northrop Grumman and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $552.54.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Robert J. Fleming sold 3,500 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $1,770,195.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,827 shares in the company, valued at $924,041.79. The trade was a 65.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $490.00, for a total transaction of $485,590.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $156,310. This represents a 75.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 16,569 shares of company stock valued at $8,322,279 in the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently 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.