Intellus Advisors LLC Invests $341,000 in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Intellus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 727 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $341,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 24.6% in the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 6,980 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $3,686,000 after acquiring an additional 1,379 shares in the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 7.6% in the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,229 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $649,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 242,983 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $128,312,000 after purchasing an additional 9,353 shares in the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.3% in the third quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 8,320 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $4,394,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Investment Consultants LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at $273,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays cut 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. Argus raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $544.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Nine research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $542.88.

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Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock traded down $0.36 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $506.26. 821,063 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 832,772. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $418.60 and a 1 year high of $555.57. The company has a market capitalization of $73.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.86, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm's 50-day moving average is $476.25 and its 200 day moving average is $492.88.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the company's 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $112,883.75. This represents a 65.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,126,405 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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.