Stifel Financial Corp Grows Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 117,161 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,666 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.08% of Northrop Grumman worth $61,877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 241.2% in the 2nd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 245.5% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity 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 shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,255 shares of company stock worth $666,461. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. Alembic Global Advisors cut shares of Northrop Grumman from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $550.56.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded down $5.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $473.65. The company had a trading volume of 915,772 shares, compared to its average volume of 730,586. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market cap of $69.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.35, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.33. The company's 50-day moving average price is $512.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $487.74. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The company had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.18 EPS. Northrop Grumman's revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is 51.05%.

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.