SG Americas Securities LLC Decreases Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 78.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,311 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 38,515 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $5,279,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 291.7% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 94 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 4.0%

NOC stock traded up $20.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $517.22. The company had a trading volume of 1,842,813 shares, compared to its average volume of 885,227. 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 capitalization of $74.44 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.14. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $490.98 and a 200 day moving average of $482.57. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $422.19 and a 12 month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. The company had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.07 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.46%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $490.00, for a total transaction of $485,590.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,310. This trade represents a 75.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total transaction of $3,793,275.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 201,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,964,243.54. This represents a 3.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,340 shares of company stock worth $6,183,378. Corporate insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on NOC. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $545.31.

About Northrop Grumman

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.