Telos Capital Management Inc. Increases Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Telos Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 29,766 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman makes up about 1.5% of Telos Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Telos Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $13,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $471.17 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $68.21 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $477.78 and a 200 day moving average of $499.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. On average, research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to reacquire up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 29.08%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 1,222 shares of company stock worth $647,025 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup raised Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.31.

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.