Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC Purchases 7,122 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 168,991 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,122 shares during the quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Northrop Grumman worth $89,239,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 212,514 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $112,222,000 after buying an additional 5,334 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 20.0% during the third quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 7,458 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $3,938,000 after acquiring an additional 1,242 shares during the period. Aviso Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 110.7% in the second quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 1,896 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna International Securities Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth about $1,133,000. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,089,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $666,461 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE:NOC traded down $5.92 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $473.65. The company had a trading volume of 915,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 859,669. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.01 billion, a PE ratio of 29.35, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $513.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $487.60. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57. 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. The business had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $6.18 EPS. Analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday. Alembic Global Advisors downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $560.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $550.56.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.