Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Sells 662 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,801 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 662 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $7,884,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 102.6% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 735,600 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $388,448,000 after purchasing an additional 372,500 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $171,580,000. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 225.8% during the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 327,998 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $153,926,000 after buying an additional 227,314 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $94,370,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,426,270 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,315,729,000 after acquiring an additional 141,816 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $545.00 to $547.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Argus raised Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $545.06.

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Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was 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 directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. The trade was a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total transaction of $213,788.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 245 shares of the company's stock, valued at $112,883.75. This represents a 65.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NOC stock traded up $0.30 on Wednesday, reaching $513.40. 217,007 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 997,235. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57. The company has a market cap of $74.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.12, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a 50-day moving average of $478.97 and a 200-day moving average of $492.59. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 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%. Analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.