Stonegate Investment Group LLC Boosts Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 18.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,038 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,410 shares during the quarter. Stonegate Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $4,326,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $784,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 604 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $266,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE NOC traded down $1.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $485.09. 907,848 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,001,923. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.92, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $414.56 and a twelve month high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $463.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $465.75.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.83 by $0.49. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.09% and a net margin of 5.38%. The business had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend yield of 1.54%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 52.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the business’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 transaction, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. TheStreet cut Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com raised Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $509.38.

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.