Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC

Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 82.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 732 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 3,514 shares during the quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $344,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 102.6% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 735,600 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $388,448,000 after purchasing an additional 372,500 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth about $74,206,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 113.6% during the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 296,844 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $129,409,000 after acquiring an additional 157,854 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 16.0% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,087,913 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $474,276,000 after purchasing an additional 150,367 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,426,270 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,315,729,000 after acquiring an additional 141,816 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen upgraded Northrop Grumman to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $549.93.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Northrop Grumman stock traded down $2.67 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $452.47. The company had a trading volume of 1,099,737 shares, compared to its average volume of 798,761. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $487.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $492.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.92 billion, a PE ratio of 28.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.35. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The company had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.18 EPS. Northrop Grumman's revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.05%.

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.