Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Holdings Lowered by James Investment Research Inc.

James Investment Research Inc. reduced its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,640 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 126 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,979,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 241.2% in the second quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 245.5% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 281.5% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 103 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $506.86 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The company has a market cap of $73.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.40, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.34. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $523.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $482.84.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.18 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $474.00 to $575.00 in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $550.56.

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.