Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Bought by Asset Management One Co. Ltd.

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 57,785 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,366 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $30,515,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NOC. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 245.5% during the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 281.5% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 103 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth about $52,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NOC shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Alembic Global Advisors cut shares of Northrop Grumman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $560.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. 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.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $550.56.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $507.44 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $523.43 and a 200-day moving average of $483.68. The company has a market capitalization of $73.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.44, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.09.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.05%.

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.