Vestor Capital LLC Decreases Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Vestor Capital LLC cut its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 694 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 23 shares during the quarter. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $325,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. London Co. of Virginia bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth $165,786,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 74.7% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,174,556 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $517,028,000 after purchasing an additional 502,060 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.7% during the 4th quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 16,515 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $7,731,000 after purchasing an additional 2,723 shares during the last quarter. Phraction Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at about $677,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2,801.7% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 330,499 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $154,720,000 after purchasing an additional 319,109 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.4 %

NOC traded up $1.82 during trading on Thursday, hitting $473.43. The stock had a trading volume of 836,173 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,005,871. The company has a market capitalization of $70.06 billion, a PE ratio of 33.11, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.34. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $414.56 and a twelve month high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $465.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $465.28.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.83 by $0.49. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. The business had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $1.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 52.31%.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related 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 transaction of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,317.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on NOC shares. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. TheStreet lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $509.38.

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.