Sanders Capital LLC Sells 265,438 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Sanders Capital LLC decreased its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 11.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,017,292 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 265,438 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman accounts for about 1.4% of Sanders Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Sanders Capital LLC owned about 1.39% of Northrop Grumman worth $946,695,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 16,660 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $7,818,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares during the last quarter. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP now owns 48,367 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $22,698,000 after acquiring an additional 1,786 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $604,000. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 8,857 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,132,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares during the period. Finally, RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $284,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, 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 value of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at $101,243,053.80. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,182. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NOC stock traded up $2.45 on Friday, hitting $539.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,102,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 866,711. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $487.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $492.17. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $77.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. Research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.08%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $548.88.

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.