Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP Acquires New Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 3,969 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $1,863,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of NOC. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 291.7% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 94 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC traded up $3.62 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $472.67. 1,148,319 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 900,111. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $496.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $485.99. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $418.60 and a 52-week high of $555.57. The company has a market capitalization of $68.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.68, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com lowered Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Argus raised Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $545.31.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. The trade was a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,217.72. This trade represents a 21.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,632 over the last quarter. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.