Cwm LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Cwm LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 72.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,953 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 17,915 shares during the period. Cwm LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,255,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. RFG Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 19.8% during the third quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 575 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $253,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 8.3% during the third quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $484,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 6.2% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 648 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $555,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 15.6% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,511 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total transaction of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at $917,317.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,317.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,863,180.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $497.23.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC stock opened at $474.57 on Thursday. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $461.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $465.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.35.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.49%.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.