Vinva Investment Management Ltd Boosts Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Vinva Investment Management Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 90.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,201 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,519 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,493,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 102.6% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 735,600 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $388,448,000 after buying an additional 372,500 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth about $171,580,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $94,370,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,426,270 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,315,729,000 after purchasing an additional 141,816 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,171,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC traded up $11.80 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $506.88. 991,376 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 829,560. The company has a market capitalization of $73.37 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $418.60 and a 52-week high of $555.57. The firm's 50-day moving average is $475.62 and its 200-day moving average is $492.94.

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Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is 29.08%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on NOC. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $544.00 target price for the company. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $542.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total value of $1,783,687.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,243,053.80. This represents a 1.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 709 shares in the company, valued at $304,217.72. This represents a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405. 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.