Clarius Group LLC Trims Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Clarius Group LLC lessened its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,687 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 58 shares during the quarter. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. IHT Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,371 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $613,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 612 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 3,258 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Keel Point LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.5% during the second quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 955 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $435,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.7% during the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,414 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 82.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC stock traded up $0.47 on Thursday, reaching $465.46. 41,858 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 862,850. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $414.56 and a twelve month high of $549.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $455.49 and a 200-day moving average of $448.22. The firm has a market cap of $70.19 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26, a P/E/G ratio of 8.45 and a beta of 0.42.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 26th. The aerospace company reported $6.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.81 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $9.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.58 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.24% and a net margin of 12.07%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.89 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 22.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 27th will be given a dividend of $1.87 per share. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 24.54%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 1,007 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $468,255.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $424,545. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, VP Roshan S. Roeder sold 1,007 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $465.00, for a total transaction of $468,255.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $424,545. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Mark A. Caylor sold 1,670 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $472.62, for a total value of $789,275.40. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,096,798. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on NOC. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $485.00 to $435.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 18th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. UBS Group started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, October 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $555.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $430.00 to $435.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 31st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $500.20.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation operates as an aerospace and defense company worldwide. The company's Aeronautics Systems segment designs, develops, manufactures, integrates, and sustains aircraft systems in the United States and internationally. 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.