Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Purchased by Accel Wealth Management

Accel Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 960 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the quarter. Accel Wealth Management’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $450,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 59.4% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 7,390 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,305,000 after acquiring an additional 2,753 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 41.4% in the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,445 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,514,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 21.6% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,390 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares during the period. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 11.0% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,890 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $845,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $450.00 price target (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. TheStreet downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Wolfe Research downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $450.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $494.33.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Northrop Grumman stock traded up $7.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $477.36. 822,742 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 952,460. The company has a market capitalization of $71.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $457.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $461.20. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $414.56 and a 1 year high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.47. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 5.23%. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.43 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.50 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.66 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $1.87 dividend. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 55.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at $917,317.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.