Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Acquired by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 106.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 59,612 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 30,787 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $27,975,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sapient Capital LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 2,049 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 1,006 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $472,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 900 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $422,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 1,987 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $933,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,760 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $826,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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 that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 3,849 shares of company stock valued at $1,831,461 over the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded up $4.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $484.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,304,434 shares, compared to its average volume of 895,507. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.71 billion, a PE ratio of 17.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $493.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $482.82.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. On average, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on NOC shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $545.31.

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.