Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Bought by Avior Wealth Management LLC

Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 198.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 974 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NOC. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. State of Wyoming increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 60 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 196.3% during the second quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 400.0% in the 3rd 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 grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC opened at $452.29 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $414.56 and a 52-week high of $496.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $67.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.55, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $459.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $464.12.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.43 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.50 earnings per share. Analysts forecast 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 issued a $1.87 dividend. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were 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 approximately $1,231,761.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.