Meitav Investment House Ltd. Lowers Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Meitav Investment House Ltd. lessened its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 27.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 878 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 330 shares during the period. Meitav Investment House Ltd.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $400,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 48.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 18,204 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,297,000 after purchasing an additional 5,970 shares in the last quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 3,311 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,509,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC now owns 500 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 30,733 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $14,008,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 102.3% in the 2nd quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,016 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,761,000 after purchasing an additional 2,031 shares during the last quarter. 82.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NOC opened at $464.17 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $549.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $456.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $448.34. The firm has a market cap of $69.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.23, a PEG ratio of 8.43 and a beta of 0.42.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 26th. The aerospace company reported $6.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.81 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $9.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.58 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 12.07% and a return on equity of 24.24%. The company’s revenue was up 9.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.89 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 22.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 27th will be paid a $1.87 dividend. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 24th. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 24.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report 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 Northrop Grumman from $430.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 31st. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $500.00 target price on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target 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. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $502.00 to $485.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $500.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Northrop Grumman 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.