BCGM Wealth Management LLC Increases Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

BCGM Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,492 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 180 shares during the quarter. BCGM Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,046,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE NOC opened at $448.59 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $418.60 and a one year high of $555.57. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $471.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $497.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.94 billion, a PE ratio of 15.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.08%.

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

About Northrop Grumman

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.