Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Shares Sold by Ameritas Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter, now owning 3,003 shares valued at approximately $1.5 million.
• Northrop Grumman reported $7.11 earnings per share for the previous quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $6.84, with revenue of $10.35 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $2.31 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.5% and a payout ratio of 34.06%.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,003 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 413 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,501,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 23.4% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,139,333 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,631,390,000 after buying an additional 974,633 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1,425.2% during the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,001,198 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $512,624,000 after acquiring an additional 935,554 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth approximately $369,205,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,266,301 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,792,479,000 after purchasing an additional 588,520 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 98.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 899,114 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $460,355,000 after purchasing an additional 446,940 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $610.32 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $426.24 and a fifty-two week high of $610.85. The stock has a market cap of $87.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.84 and a beta of 0.10. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $585.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $529.33.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 25.52%. The company had revenue of $10.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $6.36 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Northrop Grumman has set its FY 2025 guidance at 25.000-25.400 EPS. Analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were issued a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.06%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NOC. Bank of America boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $650.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $625.00 price objective (up from $550.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $547.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $588.85.

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.

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