XTX Topco Ltd Acquires 486 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

XTX Topco Ltd lifted its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 22.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,665 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 486 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,251,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NOC. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted 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 buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.5 %

NOC traded up $2.45 during trading on Friday, reaching $539.96. 1,102,225 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 865,399. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $488.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $491.50. The stock has a market cap of $77.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Wolfe Research raised Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $548.88.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the firm'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 trade represents a 65.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value of $1,783,687.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,182. Insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

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.