Principal Securities Inc. Has $1.09 Million Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 96.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,313 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,134 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,086,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 624 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $293,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 26.3% during the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 750 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 36.4% during the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 1,006 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $472,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,423 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,137,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NOC stock traded up $8.90 on Friday, hitting $447.01. 893,336 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 933,565. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50-day moving average of $471.66 and a 200 day moving average of $497.75. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. Equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to repurchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on NOC shares. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $544.56.

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.