Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC Stock Holdings Lifted by Factory Mutual Insurance Co.

Key Points

• Factory Mutual Insurance Co. increased its Northrop Grumman holdings by 58% in the third quarter, to 68,000 shares worth about $32.9 million; institutional investors own 83.4% of the stock.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $643.74; 15 rate the stock Buy, nine Hold and one Sell.
• Northrop Grumman reported quarterly EPS of $7.89, beating estimates of $7.18. Revenue was $11.12 billion, slightly below expectations, but rose 6.7% year over year.

Factory Mutual Insurance Co. lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 58.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 68,000 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 24,950 shares during the quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $32,877,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 380.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 48 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Navigoe LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the first quarter worth $42,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $617.00 to $667.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $590.00 to $540.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $419.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $745.00 to $765.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $785.00 to $655.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $643.74.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, Director Mark Welsh, III sold 98 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $555.65, for a total value of $54,453.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,314 shares in the company, valued at $2,397,074.10. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE:NOC opened at $550.17 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $78.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of -0.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.23. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $520.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $590.91. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $470.06 and a 52-week high of $774.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The aerospace company reported $7.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.18 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $11.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.14 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 23.46% and a net margin of 10.37%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.67 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 29.64 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Monday, August 31st were issued a $2.47 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 31st. This represents a $9.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.17%.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation NYSE: NOC is a global aerospace and defense company that develops and produces systems for government and commercial customers, with the U.S. government representing its primary customer base. The company operates across aerospace, defense, space, cybersecurity and advanced technology markets.

Its products and services include military aircraft and autonomous systems, space systems and satellites, missile defense technologies, command-and-control systems, cyber solutions, sensors, communications networks and other mission-critical systems.

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