ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Has $43.81 Million Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 93,579 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman comprises about 2.3% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $43,808,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. State of Wyoming boosted its holdings 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. grew its position 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 in the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 19.1% in 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 last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC stock traded up $10.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $462.58. 903,960 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 989,637. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $414.56 and a 1-year high of $496.89. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $459.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $464.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.55 billion, a PE ratio of 34.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.35.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the completion of the sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.