WoodTrust Financial Corp Purchases 666 Shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)

WoodTrust Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 5.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,521 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 666 shares during the period. WoodTrust Financial Corp's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Spirepoint Private Client LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 3.8% in the first quarter. Spirepoint Private Client LLC now owns 15,289 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $7,828,000 after buying an additional 562 shares during the period. Legacy Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter worth about $205,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.8% during the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 62,037 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $31,764,000 after buying an additional 2,848 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 18.4% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,994 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,533,000 after buying an additional 466 shares during the period. Finally, EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter worth approximately $111,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 3.2%

Shares of NYSE NOC traded down $15.77 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $483.90. The stock had a trading volume of 928,502 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,065,922. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $488.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $483.14. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52 week low of $422.69 and a 52 week high of $555.57. The company has a market capitalization of $69.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.10, a P/E/G ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 0.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.95.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.27). Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 25.46% and a net margin of 9.19%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.07 billion. Analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Corporation will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 36.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. UBS Group decreased their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Seven 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $553.43.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 729 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $505.77, for a total value of $368,706.33. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 7,552 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,819,575.04. This trade represents a 8.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $490.00, for a total transaction of $485,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $156,310. This trade represents a 75.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 16,569 shares of company stock worth $8,322,279. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

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.