Neumann Capital Management LLC Buys New Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Neumann Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 602 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $308,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First United Bank & Trust bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at $54,000. Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 55.9% during the 1st quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,623 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $831,000 after buying an additional 582 shares in the last quarter. Visionary Horizons LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth $610,000. Millburn Ridgefield LLC DE bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth $284,000. Finally, Rowlandmiller & PARTNERS.ADV bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth $108,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $545.31.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC stock traded up $20.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $517.22. 1,842,813 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 885,227. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $490.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $482.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a market cap of $74.44 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.14. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $422.19 and a 1 year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.27). Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.07 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $2.31 dividend. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 36.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of the business'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 sale, the vice president now owns 319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,310. The trade was a 75.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $495.00, for a total value of $1,856,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 209,102 shares in the company, valued at $103,505,490. This represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,340 shares of company stock valued at $6,183,378 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

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.