Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Holdings Decreased by Wealthfront Advisers LLC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC reduced its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 80.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,968 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 11,918 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.9% in the third quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,288 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,208,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 0.3% in the third quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 8,320 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $4,394,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 2,049 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 1,006 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $472,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 900 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $422,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded up $1.75 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $491.56. 841,083 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 824,306. The firm has a market cap of $71.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.35, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. 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 $473.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $493.79.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase 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 repurchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Northrop Grumman's payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 212,852 shares in the company, valued at $101,243,053.80. The trade was a 1.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total value of $82,383.36. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock worth $2,126,405. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a "buy" rating and a $544.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reduced their target price on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Argus upgraded Northrop Grumman to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $542.88.

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.