Huber Capital Management LLC Has $5.77 Million Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Huber Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 51.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,293 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 12,925 shares during the period. Huber Capital Management LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $5,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. World Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 92.9% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 2,396 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,124,000 after acquiring an additional 1,154 shares during the last quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC now owns 529 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. OneAscent Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth about $238,000. RFG Bristol Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $284,000. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 78.9% in the 4th quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 54,922 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $25,774,000 after buying an additional 24,217 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NOC. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Susquehanna decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $545.06.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total transaction of $213,788.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 245 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 quarter, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,126,405. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NOC traded down $28.95 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $486.23. 1,692,381 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 860,929. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. 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 stock's 50-day simple moving average is $479.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $492.44. The firm has a market cap of $70.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.16, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 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, equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to reacquire up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.