Western Wealth Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Western Wealth Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 37.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,979 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 1,172 shares during the quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $929,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 16,660 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $7,818,000 after acquiring an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 8,857 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,025,263 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,417,850,000 after buying an additional 21,903 shares in the last quarter. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $284,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 74.4% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 156,149 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $73,279,000 after purchasing an additional 66,638 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total value of $213,788.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 245 shares in the company, valued at $112,883.75. This represents a 65.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,313 shares of company stock worth $2,045,249 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded up $1.77 on Wednesday, hitting $477.24. 383,878 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 902,812. 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $494.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $483.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.07 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. Sell-side analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NOC. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Argus raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.