Two Sigma Advisers LP Buys 372,500 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 102.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 735,600 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 372,500 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman accounts for approximately 0.9% of Two Sigma Advisers LP's portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned approximately 0.50% of Northrop Grumman worth $388,448,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 16.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 809,445 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $427,444,000 after purchasing an additional 3,211 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 22.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 683,427 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $297,937,000 after purchasing an additional 125,262 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 15.3% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 572,451 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $302,294,000 after purchasing an additional 75,921 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 443,724 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $229,139,000 after purchasing an additional 5,203 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. Alembic Global Advisors lowered Northrop Grumman from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen raised Northrop Grumman to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 9th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $550.56.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE NOC traded down $6.65 during trading on Friday, reaching $472.92. The company had a trading volume of 460,138 shares, compared to its average volume of 857,623. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $418.60 and a 12-month high of $555.57. The stock has a market cap of $68.90 billion, a PE ratio of 29.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.33. The business's 50-day moving average is $513.61 and its 200 day moving average is $487.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its 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 return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The firm had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $6.18 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.05%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company's stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $666,461 over the last ninety days. 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.