SVB Wealth LLC Takes Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 3,686 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $1,730,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on NOC. Wolfe Research upgraded Northrop Grumman from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $574.00 to $545.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Argus raised Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $542.75.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NOC traded down $9.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $464.34. The company 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 quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $67.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $469.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $495.61. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS 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 issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.77%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.08%.

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

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total value of $82,383.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares in the company, valued at $304,217.72. The trade was a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 755 shares of company stock worth $342,972. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

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.