Diversified Trust Co Sells 442 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Diversified Trust Co decreased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 22.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,511 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 442 shares during the quarter. Diversified Trust Co’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $723,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wesbanco Bank Inc. raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $784,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 727 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $340,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 493 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NOC. BTIG Research started coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $510.36.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $437.37 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $64.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.59, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $455.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $458.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $414.56 and a 12-month high of $496.89.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.83 by $0.49. The company had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 24.09% and a net margin of 5.38%. Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.50 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.87. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.62%.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.