Versor Investments LP Boosts Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Versor Investments LP grew its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 132.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,898 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,221 shares during the quarter. Versor Investments LP's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NOC. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $574.00 to $545.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Barclays decreased 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 report on Monday, January 6th. Argus upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Nine 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.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $542.75.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total transaction of $82,383.36. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares in the company, valued at $304,217.72. This represents a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders sold a total of 291 shares of company stock valued at $129,184 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC traded up $1.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $461.74. 900,984 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 977,028. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. 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 50 day moving average of $469.44 and a 200-day moving average of $496.12. The stock has a market cap of $66.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. Analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.