Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Bought by NewEdge Wealth LLC

NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 92.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,319 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,480 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $4,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Clarius Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 1,328 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $622,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,321 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,555,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 15.3% during the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,014 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,199,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2,801.7% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 330,499 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $154,720,000 after acquiring an additional 319,109 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC stock traded down $1.72 on Friday, hitting $456.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,045,967 shares, compared to its average volume of 868,361. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $459.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $463.95. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $414.56 and a 1 year high of $496.89. The stock has a market cap of $67.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.43 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. Northrop Grumman's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.50 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $1.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is currently 55.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,863,180.69. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $430,103.35. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,137 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,863,180.69. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on NOC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $541.00 to $473.00 in a report on Friday, December 15th. StockNews.com cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "b+" rating to a "c+" rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $494.33.

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.