Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 27.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,570 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 593 shares during the quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the first quarter valued at about $46,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the first quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 291.7% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 94 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total value of $3,793,275.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 201,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,964,243.54. This trade represents a 3.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $368,706.33. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 7,552 shares in the company, valued at $3,819,575.04. The trade was a 8.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 16,569 shares of company stock worth $8,323,150 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $514.65. 748,906 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 879,759. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 1 year low of $426.24 and a 1 year high of $555.57. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $489.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $485.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.07 billion, a P/E 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 (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). The firm had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.07 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.19% and a return on equity of 25.46%. Equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend 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 is 36.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on NOC. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price target on Northrop Grumman and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $550.00.

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.