Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Acquired by Belpointe Asset Management LLC

Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 10.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,318 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,965,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 3,106 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,457,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 39,319 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $18,452,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Barr E S & Co. raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. Barr E S & Co. now owns 1,038 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $487,000 after acquiring an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,397 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,594,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $985,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. This trade represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total value of $213,788.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 245 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $112,883.75. This trade represents a 65.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,127,182. 0.23% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on NOC. Truist Financial increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price target for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $548.88.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NOC stock traded up $2.45 during trading on Friday, hitting $539.96. The stock had a trading volume of 1,102,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 866,793. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The stock has a market cap of $77.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20. The company's 50 day moving average price is $488.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $492.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

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.