Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Stock Holdings Decreased by XTX Topco Ltd

XTX Topco Ltd lowered its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC - Free Report) by 33.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,179 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 1,093 shares during the quarter. XTX Topco Ltd's holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,151,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 245.5% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company's stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Northrop Grumman stock traded up $1.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $480.18. 746,957 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 859,672. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $511.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $487.91. The firm has a market cap of $69.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.75, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.33. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. Northrop Grumman's revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.18 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders 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 dividend yield of 1.72%. Northrop Grumman's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the business'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 value of $616,067.08. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares in the company, valued at $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock worth $666,461. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on NOC. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $550.56.

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.