Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Position Increased by SRS Capital Advisors Inc.

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 810.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 856 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $402,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NOC shares. Wolfe Research upgraded Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Argus upgraded Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $544.00 price target on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $542.75.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock traded down $9.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $464.34. The stock had a trading volume of 1,335,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 990,335. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $469.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $495.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.22 billion, a PE ratio of 16.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to reacquire up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,217.72. This trade represents a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 755 shares of company stock valued at $342,972. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.