Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $31.12 Million Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,477 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 1,012 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $31,121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. West Family Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth about $258,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 7,583.9% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 123,788 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $57,950,000 after buying an additional 122,177 shares during the period. Heritage Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,326,000. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 29.6% in the fourth quarter. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC now owns 4,291 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,009,000 after buying an additional 980 shares during the period. Finally, Rogco LP increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Rogco LP now owns 354 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE NOC opened at $469.09 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $69.42 billion, a PE ratio of 32.80, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.34. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $496.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $464.96 and a 200-day moving average of $465.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.83 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.50 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $1.87 per share. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the sale, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,137 shares in the company, valued at $1,863,180.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $509.38.

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.