Sivia Capital Partners LLC Purchases Shares of 987 Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 987 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $505,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Salvus Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.5% in the first quarter. Salvus Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,349 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $691,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 2,049 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 1,006 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $472,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $933,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,050 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 value of $485,590.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 319 shares in the company, valued at $156,310. This 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 available through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,057 shares of company stock worth $517,733. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Argus upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $545.31.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NOC opened at $489.55 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm's 50-day moving average is $491.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $482.38. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.27, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.14.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.07 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $2.31 per share. 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 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.46%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.