SYM FINANCIAL Corp Purchases 78 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

SYM FINANCIAL Corp lifted its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 13.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 663 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. SYM FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $311,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $486.97 on Monday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $418.60 and a 52-week high of $555.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.17, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $478.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $498.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. Analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.96 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.05%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to repurchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Barclays dropped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, January 19th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold a total of 1,255 shares of company stock worth $663,859 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.