Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Sold by Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC

Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC cut its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,664 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 205 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman accounts for 2.3% of Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $784,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 727 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $340,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 493 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $510.36.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.2 %

Northrop Grumman stock traded up $1.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $435.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,103,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,069,240. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $456.07 and its 200 day moving average is $459.29. 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 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.35.

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

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.87. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.62%.

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.