HMV Wealth Advisors LLC Invests $304,000 in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

HMV Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 648 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $304,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NOC. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. Susquehanna dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 research note on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $542.88.

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Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.4 %

NOC traded up $1.75 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $491.56. 846,750 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 824,328. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The stock's 50-day moving average is $473.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $493.79. The stock has a market cap of $71.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.35, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 29.08%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total value of $213,788.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 245 shares in the company, valued at $112,883.75. This trade represents a 65.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.