Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Has $507,000 Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. decreased its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 50.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,081 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 1,091 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $507,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NOC. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE NOC opened at $497.13 on Monday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $418.60 and a 12-month high of $555.57. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $478.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $496.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The company has a market cap of $72.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 26.57%. The business had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.18 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $6.18 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman’s revenue was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.05%.

Northrop Grumman announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NOC. Truist Financial started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 19th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $550.94.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859. 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.