Axxcess Wealth Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 10.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 548 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NOC. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $784,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 727 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $340,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded down $5.91 during trading on Friday, reaching $469.09. The stock had a trading volume of 1,443,462 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,144,324. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $464.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $465.81. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $414.56 and a 52 week high of $496.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.42 billion, a PE ratio of 32.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 24.09% and a net margin of 5.38%. The company had revenue of $10.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.50 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.31%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,024 shares in the company, valued at $917,317.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NOC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TheStreet downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.