Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado Sells 835 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado lowered its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,468 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 835 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $8,487,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 12,065 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth $870,000. Norden Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter worth about $778,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 122,026 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Red Mountain Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at about $264,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total value of $663,330.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 6,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,225,917.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total value of $663,330.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 6,755 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,225,917.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total value of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,317,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,846 shares of company stock valued at $1,393,028 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $500.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut shares of Northrop Grumman from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $477.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, June 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $474.00 to $575.00 in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $593.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $523.20.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $525.13 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $77.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $496.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $469.78. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $414.56 and a 52-week high of $528.76.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.93 by $0.43. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The firm had revenue of $10.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.34 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.14 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, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 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.