Pathstone Holdings LLC Sells 1,200 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Pathstone Holdings LLC lessened its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,362 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 1,200 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $8,148,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 291.7% during 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 during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 1.1%

NOC traded up $5.14 on Tuesday, reaching $476.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,001,296 shares, compared to its average volume of 901,330. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $68.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $496.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $485.22. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 32.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total value of $213,788.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $112,883.75. The trade was a 65.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,632 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NOC shares. Wolfe Research raised Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group dropped their target price 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. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.