Fielder Capital Group LLC Takes Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Fielder Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 712 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $333,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,488,412 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,975,754,000 after purchasing an additional 410,736 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 3.5% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,194,298 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,846,289,000 after buying an additional 142,036 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 6.8% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,244,324 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $547,739,000 after buying an additional 79,263 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 74.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,174,556 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $517,028,000 after acquiring an additional 502,060 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 867,137 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $381,705,000 after purchasing an additional 21,501 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC stock traded up $4.89 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $473.75. 727,627 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,008,934. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $465.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $465.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.13. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $414.56 and a 12-month high of $496.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.34.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,863,180.69. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’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 value of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $430,103.35. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,863,180.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on NOC. StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target 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. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, TheStreet cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $509.38.

About Northrop Grumman

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.