Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) VP Sells $485,590.00 in Stock

Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 991 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $490.00, for a total transaction of $485,590.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $156,310. The trade was a 75.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.3%

NOC traded up $1.43 on Friday, reaching $489.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 372,436 shares, compared to its average volume of 891,961. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The business's 50 day moving average is $491.04 and its 200 day moving average is $482.29. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $418.60 and a 1 year high of $555.57. The stock has a market cap of $70.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.14.

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

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a $2.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman's previous quarterly dividend of $2.06. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 36.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NOC. Argus upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Nine equities 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $545.31.

Institutional Trading of Northrop Grumman

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. IMA Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.