Dark Forest Capital Management LP Has $1.02 Million Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP raised its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 124.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,177 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,205 shares during the quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Tudor Financial Inc. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,130,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 1,504 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $794,000 after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 745 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $393,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 274.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 2,566 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,355,000 after purchasing an additional 1,880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 41.8% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 5,403 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,853,000 after purchasing an additional 1,593 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC traded up $10.31 on Friday, reaching $473.38. 1,329,267 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 885,333. The firm has a market cap of $68.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.20. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $491.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $489.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $6.33 by ($0.27). Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. The business had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.07 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued 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 was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 32.52%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,217.72. This trade represents a 21.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,127,182. Company insiders own 0.23% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $583.00 to $571.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Ten equities research 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, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $542.94.

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.