MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Increases Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 27,156 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 519 shares during the quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $12,744,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ascent Group LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.5% in the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 4,337 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,891,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.9% in the third quarter. Cornell Pochily Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,141 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,131,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 2,025 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,069,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,478 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $780,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PBMares Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.5% during the third quarter. PBMares Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,421 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,335,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on NOC shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $595.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price target on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $550.94.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:NOC traded up $1.30 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $482.49. 1,091,510 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 573,523. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57. The company has a market capitalization of $70.30 billion, a PE ratio of 29.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $480.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $494.51.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.18 EPS. The business's revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.05%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to repurchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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.