Jump Financial LLC Trims Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Jump Financial LLC lowered its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 82.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,957 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 9,079 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $918,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 291.7% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 94 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE:NOC traded up $10.31 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $473.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,329,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 887,279. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $491.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $490.24. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $418.60 and a 52-week high of $555.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $68.23 billion, a PE ratio of 16.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $6.33 by ($0.27). Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. The firm had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.07 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.08%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on NOC. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $600.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Northrop Grumman from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price target on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $542.94.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the company's 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 directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 90 days, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,182. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.