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

Jeppson Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,437 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 72 shares during the quarter. Jeppson Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 241.2% during the 2nd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the first quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the first quarter valued at $47,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at $2,317,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total transaction of $663,330.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,225,917.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,317,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,813 shares of company stock valued at $1,375,877 in the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on NOC shares. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $593.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $474.00 to $575.00 in a research note on Monday, July 29th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $440.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $523.20.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $520.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 922,903. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The company has a market cap of $77.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.32. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $476.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $464.91. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $528.76.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.93 by $0.43. The firm had revenue of $10.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.02 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.34 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 57.62%.

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.