Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Purchased by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,140,892 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 17,596 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 2.84% of Northrop Grumman worth $2,186,681,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,915.9% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 438,521 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $191,173,000 after purchasing an additional 416,768 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 102.6% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 735,600 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $388,448,000 after buying an additional 372,500 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at about $74,206,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 113.6% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 296,844 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $129,409,000 after buying an additional 157,854 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 150,367 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on NOC. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $550.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the 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 sale, the vice president now owns 537 shares of the company's stock, valued at $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $666,461 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:NOC traded down $5.92 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $473.65. 915,772 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 730,586. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $513.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $487.60. The company has a market capitalization of $69.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.35, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.33. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. The company had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. Northrop Grumman's revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $6.18 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.05%.

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.