Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Director Sells $15,885.87 in Stock

Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 33 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $481.39, for a total transaction of $15,885.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,000,175.45. The trade was a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NOC stock traded down $5.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $473.65. 915,772 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 730,586. The company's 50-day moving average price is $512.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $487.74. The company has a market cap of $69.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The business had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.18 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 51.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $550.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,140,892 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,186,681,000 after buying an additional 17,596 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,003,360 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,581,644,000 after purchasing an additional 18,791 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 6.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,426,270 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,315,729,000 after purchasing an additional 141,816 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 16.0% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,087,913 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $474,276,000 after purchasing an additional 150,367 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 809,445 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $427,444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,211 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

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.