Lyell Wealth Management LP Sells 321 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Lyell Wealth Management LP cut its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,758 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 321 shares during the period. Lyell Wealth Management LP’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% in the 3rd quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $70,000. Rational Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $72,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 16.2% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $73,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 transaction of $322,239.42. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.0 %

Northrop Grumman stock traded down $0.11 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $474.57. The stock had a trading volume of 1,091,637 shares, compared to its average volume of 997,757. The stock has a market cap of $70.33 billion, a PE ratio of 35.21, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $414.56 and a 52 week high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $461.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $465.55.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.47. The business had revenue of $10.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.43 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The company’s revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.50 EPS. Analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $1.87 dividend. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 55.49%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on NOC shares. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday. TheStreet cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (down previously from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $497.23.

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.