Yacktman Asset Management LP Has $189.89 Million Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Yacktman Asset Management LP cut its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 405,617 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 2,331 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman makes up about 1.8% of Yacktman Asset Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Yacktman Asset Management LP owned 0.27% of Northrop Grumman worth $189,886,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% in the third quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at about $70,000. Rational Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at about $72,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 16.2% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday. TheStreet downgraded Northrop Grumman from a "b+" rating to a "c+" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded Northrop Grumman from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $532.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday. Susquehanna upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $503.00.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Northrop Grumman stock traded down $7.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $480.53. The stock had a trading volume of 1,371,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,006,915. The company has a 50-day moving average of $462.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $465.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company has a market cap of $71.21 billion, a PE ratio of 35.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $414.56 and a fifty-two week high of $496.89.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.83 by $0.49. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 5.23%. The company had revenue of $10.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.50 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is currently 55.49%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147. Company insiders own 0.22% 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.