Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Bought by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 15.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,608 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,184 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $18,959,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. London Co. of Virginia acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth about $165,786,000. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1,402.9% during the first quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 12,925 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,186,000 after buying an additional 12,065 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 7,574.5% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 123,637 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $57,879,000 after buying an additional 122,026 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.7% during the fourth 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 acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth about $264,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on NOC shares. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. 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 note on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut Northrop Grumman from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $477.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, June 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $510.36.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $436.20 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $496.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $456.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $459.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.55 billion, a PE ratio of 30.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.35.

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

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 24th. This is a positive change from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.87. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.