Duality Advisers LP Makes New Investment in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Duality Advisers LP bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 9,146 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,282,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth about $29,000. State of Wyoming grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 76.5% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 60 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. IMA Wealth Inc. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 196.3% in the 2nd quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% during the third quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $70,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 26th. TheStreet downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $494.33.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total transaction of $322,239.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,317.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 2.2 %

Northrop Grumman stock traded up $10.08 during trading on Friday, hitting $462.58. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,213,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 967,785. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $459.71 and its 200 day moving average is $464.77. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $414.56 and a 1-year high of $496.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.35. 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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.47. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The company had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.43 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $7.50 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $1.87 dividend. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.49%.

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.