Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Acquired by GoalVest Advisory LLC

GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 79.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 181 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. GoalVest Advisory LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $87,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. London Co. of Virginia purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $165,786,000. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,402.9% in the 1st quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 12,925 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,186,000 after acquiring an additional 12,065 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 7,574.5% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 123,637 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $57,879,000 after acquiring an additional 122,026 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 16,515 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $7,731,000 after buying an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Red Mountain Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth approximately $264,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NOC shares. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $510.36.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $434.86 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $456.95 and a 200-day moving average of $459.90. The company has a market capitalization of $64.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.41, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $414.56 and a 52 week high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.83 by $0.49. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. The company had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th were issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.87. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.62%.

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.