Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Stock Holdings Decreased by Focused Investors LLC

Focused Investors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 214,300 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 1,900 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman accounts for about 3.2% of Focused Investors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Focused Investors LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Northrop Grumman worth $100,569,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.9% during the fourth quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 16,660 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $7,818,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares in the last quarter. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP now owns 48,367 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $22,698,000 after buying an additional 1,786 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth $604,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 212,514 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $112,222,000 after buying an additional 5,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,316.9% during the fourth quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 16,139 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $7,574,000 after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on NOC shares. Susquehanna cut their price target on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Northrop Grumman from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the company from $500.00 to $575.00 in a research note on Thursday. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $544.00 target price for the company. Eight equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $545.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $82,383.36. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,217.72. The trade was a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock traded up $6.81 on Thursday, reaching $513.95. 927,934 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 833,277. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The firm has a market cap of $74.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company's 50-day moving average is $477.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $493.12.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.