Dearborn Partners LLC Sells 25 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Dearborn Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 645 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 25 shares during the period. Dearborn Partners LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 14.1% in the first quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 170 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. 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 in the last quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 727 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 2.4% in the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 965 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $462,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NOC traded up $3.78 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $443.95. The stock had a trading volume of 307,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 964,985. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $444.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $456.40. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $496.89. The company has a market capitalization of $65.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.33.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.83 by $0.49. The firm 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.87. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Alembic Global Advisors raised Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $565.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $510.36.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.