Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Stake Lessened by Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc.

Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. decreased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 884 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 71 shares during the period. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 245.5% in the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at $40,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock traded down $3.84 on Friday, hitting $458.37. 621,544 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 729,744. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $485.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $492.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.78 billion, a PE ratio of 28.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. The business had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.18 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NOC. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Barclays dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. UBS Group upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $595.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $551.40.

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.