Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Reduces Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado trimmed its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,786 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 1,679 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $8,347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sapient Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 2,049 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $962,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 1,006 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $472,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 900 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $422,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 1,987 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $933,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 432 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NOC stock traded up $5.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $491.93. 1,728,616 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 890,930. 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's 50-day moving average price is $495.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $488.44. The company has a market cap of $70.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.07 billion. On average, equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $112,883.75. This represents a 65.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 value of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. The trade was a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,127,182. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $550.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus 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.