Capital Investment Counsel Inc Sells 754 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Capital Investment Counsel Inc decreased its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,016 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 754 shares during the period. Capital Investment Counsel Inc’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,593,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 25.9% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 443 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $212,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 79.2% during the first quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 181 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 13.4% in the first quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,540 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $737,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 15.1% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 39,608 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $18,959,000 after buying an additional 5,184 shares during the period. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,978 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $947,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC opened at $516.40 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a 50 day moving average of $522.88 and a 200-day moving average of $480.30.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.93 by $0.43. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The business had revenue of $10.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.34 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on NOC. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $470.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $474.00 to $575.00 in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $535.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at $2,317,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total value of $663,330.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,225,917.80. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $695,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,317,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,879 shares of company stock worth $1,410,703. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.