O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Increases Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 22.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,855 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 3,240 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $8,379,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NOC. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 19.9% during the 4th quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 16,660 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $7,818,000 after acquiring an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Trinity Street Asset Management LLP now owns 48,367 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $22,698,000 after purchasing an additional 1,786 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $604,000. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,316.9% in the fourth quarter. Parsons Capital Management Inc. RI now owns 16,139 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $7,574,000 after purchasing an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 74.4% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 156,149 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $73,279,000 after buying an additional 66,638 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE:NOC traded down $0.94 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $512.16. 749,699 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 866,567. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year 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 firm has a market capitalization of $74.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.07, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a 50-day moving average of $479.17 and a 200 day moving average of $492.73.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the aerospace company to repurchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.08%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares of the company's stock, valued at $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 245 shares in the company, valued at $112,883.75. This represents a 65.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on NOC. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $500.00 to $575.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Argus upgraded Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com lowered Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $545.06.

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.