Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Purchased by MML Investors Services LLC

MML Investors Services LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 8.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 27,859 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 2,210 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $14,712,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 212,514 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $112,222,000 after purchasing an additional 5,334 shares in the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 20.0% in the third quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 7,458 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,938,000 after buying an additional 1,242 shares in the last quarter. Aviso Wealth Management boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 110.7% during the second quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 1,896 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $827,000 after acquiring an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna International Securities Ltd. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,133,000. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,089,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NOC shares. Barclays boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. UBS Group raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Alembic Global Advisors cut shares of Northrop Grumman from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $550.56.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:NOC traded up $1.01 on Tuesday, reaching $480.18. 746,957 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 859,672. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.33. 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 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The business has a fifty day moving average of $511.56 and a 200-day moving average of $487.91.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.72%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is currently 51.05%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other 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 value 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 represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock worth $666,461 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.22% 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.