Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Position Lifted by Act Two Investors LLC

Act Two Investors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 51,194 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 1,168 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman comprises 5.2% of Act Two Investors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Act Two Investors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $23,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at about $408,000. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wilbanks Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC now owns 3,311 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,458,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 63,363 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,892,000 after buying an additional 471 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 181.5% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 2,207 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $971,000 after buying an additional 1,423 shares during the period. Finally, Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 0.9% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 8,165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock traded up $1.27 on Friday, reaching $466.43. 420,855 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 859,820. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $414.56 and a 1-year high of $496.89. The company has a market cap of $69.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $468.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $465.09.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.83 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $10.13 billion during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.87. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is 52.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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 note on Monday, April 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Susquehanna boosted their price target 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, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $514.33.

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.