Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Purchased by LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI

LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 2.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,248 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 646 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman comprises 1.9% of LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $17,023,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.9% in the 4th quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 16,660 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $7,818,000 after acquiring an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 8,857 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,025,263 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,417,850,000 after purchasing an additional 21,903 shares in the last quarter. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $284,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 74.4% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 156,149 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $73,279,000 after purchasing an additional 66,638 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NOC traded up $5.05 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $488.43. The company had a trading volume of 578,264 shares, compared to its average volume of 893,725. The stock has a market cap 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's 50 day moving average price is $492.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $482.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The firm had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.07 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 36.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NOC shares. Citigroup increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $545.31.

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 shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value of $1,783,687.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $101,243,053.80. This trade represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders sold a total of 3,849 shares of company stock valued at $1,831,461 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

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.