Stonehearth Capital Management LLC Sells 88 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Stonehearth Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 10.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 770 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 88 shares during the period. Stonehearth Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $362,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Diversified Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 143.2% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 4,902 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,300,000 after buying an additional 2,886 shares during the period. Fortem Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $237,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 89.3% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 1,257 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 593 shares during the last quarter. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.1% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 166,434 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $87,889,000 after purchasing an additional 4,969 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 1,222 shares of company stock valued at $648,786 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC stock traded up $1.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $456.38. 535,110 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 652,509. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.49 billion, a PE ratio of 28.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $488.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $492.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. The business had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.18 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen upgraded Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $565.00 to $505.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $549.93.

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.