OLD Second National Bank of Aurora Boosts Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,402 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $784,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Patten Group Inc. increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Patten Group Inc. now owns 3,523 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,551,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Secure Asset Management LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE NOC traded up $2.90 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $454.95. The company had a trading volume of 155,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 978,805. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $414.56 and a fifty-two week high of $496.89. The company has a market capitalization of $67.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.35. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $459.54 and its 200 day moving average is $464.20.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its 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 return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 5.23%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.50 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 26th were paid a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 55.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (down previously from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 26th. TheStreet cut Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $494.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman 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 value of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at $1,231,761.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the business’s 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 $1,231,761.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.