Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by ORG Partners LLC

ORG Partners LLC lowered its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 97.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 123 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 4,827 shares during the quarter. ORG Partners LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $58,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of NOC. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 76.5% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 60 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. IMA Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 196.3% in the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% in the third quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 19.1% in the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $451.29 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $66.88 billion, a PE ratio of 33.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $459.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $464.22. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $496.89.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.43 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 5.23%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.50 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $1.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 55.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $450.00 target price (down previously from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 26th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $494.33.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,761.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. Insiders own 0.22% 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.