Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 2,166 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 3.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,862 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 2,166 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $28,602,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of NOC. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter worth about $46,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 291.7% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 94 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE NOC traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $513.72. The stock had a trading volume of 417,813 shares, compared to its average volume of 877,283. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $488.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $485.25. The firm has a market cap of $73.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.55 and a beta of 0.15. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $424.66 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57. 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 data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.07 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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 yield of 1.80%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is currently 36.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $542.00 price objective (down from $580.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $550.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $490.00, for a total transaction of $485,590.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,310. The trade was a 75.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total value of $368,706.33. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 7,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,819,575.04. This represents a 8.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 16,569 shares of company stock valued at $8,323,150. 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.