Tudor Financial Inc. Invests $1.13 Million in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Tudor Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,140 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $1,130,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.6% during the third 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. AIA Group Ltd boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 7,458 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $3,938,000 after buying an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. Aviso Wealth Management boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 110.7% in the 2nd 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 stake in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,133,000. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $4,089,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. Susquehanna raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Barclays raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Alembic Global Advisors lowered Northrop Grumman from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $546.81.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded up $5.89 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $481.51. 1,303,439 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 862,350. The firm has a market cap of $70.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.46, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.09. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $418.60 and a 52-week high of $555.57. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $509.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $487.92.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.18 EPS. The company's revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.05%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares in the company, valued at $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock worth $666,461 in the last three months. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.