NBW Capital LLC Decreases Position in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)

Key Points

• NBW Capital LLC has reduced its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation by 17.5%, owning 7,267 shares valued at approximately $3.72 million after selling 1,539 shares in Q1.
• Insider transactions included CEO Kathy J. Warden selling 7,500 shares for a total of roughly $3.79 million, reducing her position by 3.59%.
• Northrop Grumman increased its quarterly dividend to $2.31 per share, reflecting a positive change from its previous dividend and yielding 1.6% annually.

NBW Capital LLC lowered its stake in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 17.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,267 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 1,539 shares during the quarter. NBW Capital LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,721,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 790.0% in the 1st quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 89 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock traded down $6.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $581.29. 749,424 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 876,217. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43, a PEG ratio of 5.51 and a beta of 0.15. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a twelve month low of $426.24 and a twelve month high of $594.68. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $522.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $497.85.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The aerospace company reported $7.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.84 by $0.27. The business had revenue of $10.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.15 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.52% and a net margin of 9.74%. Northrop Grumman's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.36 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. 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 currently 34.06%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president owned 7,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,819,575.04. This represents a 8.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $490.00, for a total value of $485,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,310. This trade 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 16,536 shares of company stock valued at $8,306,857 over the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on NOC. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $547.00 to $565.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $542.00 price target (down from $580.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $586.79.

Northrop Grumman 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.