Golden State Wealth Management LLC Purchases Shares of 905 Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 905 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $425,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Barclays lowered their price target on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.31.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC stock opened at $468.75 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.35. 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 twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $477.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $498.99.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders sold a total of 1,255 shares of company stock worth $662,868 over the last 90 days. Company 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.