Quantbot Technologies LP Decreases Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Quantbot Technologies LP reduced its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 56.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,672 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 10,053 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $4,051,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NOC. AIA Group Ltd grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 7,458 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. Aviso Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna International Securities Ltd. acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,133,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 212,514 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $112,222,000 after acquiring an additional 5,334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 133.9% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,248 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $980,000 after acquiring an additional 1,287 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Northrop Grumman stock traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $489.20. 583,378 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 863,982. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $71.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.35. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $518.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $487.14. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $418.60 and a 1 year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. 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 company earned $6.18 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted 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. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $550.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company's stock, valued at $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,289 shares of company stock valued at $685,273. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.