Intellectus Partners LLC Decreases Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Intellectus Partners LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 62 shares during the quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $784,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.0% in the third quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 604 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 16.2% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded down $7.61 during trading on Friday, hitting $480.45. 1,371,947 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,120,454. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.60, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $414.56 and a 12-month high of $496.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $462.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $465.77.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.83 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. The company’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.50 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NOC. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $503.00.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,863,180.69. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the company’s 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 owns 4,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,863,180.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 in the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.