J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Has $3.39 Million Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 57.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,622 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,411 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,391,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of NOC. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hollencrest Capital Management raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 790.0% during the 1st quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 89 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Ball & Co Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $47,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $490.00, for a total value of $485,590.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,310. This represents a 75.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 16,569 shares of company stock worth $8,323,150. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $550.00.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $518.83 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 12-month low of $426.24 and a 12-month high of $555.57. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $492.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $487.55. The firm has a market cap of $74.68 billion, a PE ratio of 20.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.17 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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.07 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 2nd. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 36.46%.

About Northrop Grumman

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.

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