Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Has $374.78 Million Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 798,626 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 68,321 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.55% of Northrop Grumman worth $374,777,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,239,434 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $3,866,133,000 after buying an additional 461,307 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 337.1% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 482,112 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $226,250,000 after purchasing an additional 371,814 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $171,580,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,733,680 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $813,599,000 after buying an additional 343,018 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 225.8% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 327,998 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $153,926,000 after acquiring an additional 227,314 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $580.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $544.24.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE NOC traded up $8.19 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $472.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,929,122 shares, compared to its average volume of 884,691. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $489.82 and a 200 day moving average of $491.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.66, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.27). Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.07 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 29.08%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 709 shares of the company's stock, valued at $304,217.72. The trade was a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,182 in the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.