17,175 Shares in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Bought by Bcwm LLC

Bcwm LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 17,175 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $8,060,000. Northrop Grumman comprises about 2.9% of Bcwm LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC traded up $0.82 on Tuesday, hitting $512.83. 710,530 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 866,771. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $74.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $478.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $492.64.

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Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 29.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at $101,243,053.80. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,217.72. This represents a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on NOC shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Wolfe Research raised Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a "buy" rating and a $544.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $545.06.

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.