Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC Boosts Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC raised its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 39.0% 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 684 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $784,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $395,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. grew 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 493 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC traded up $1.04 on Friday, hitting $435.95. 1,103,091 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,069,240. The company has a 50 day moving average of $456.07 and a 200-day moving average of $459.43. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $414.56 and a 12-month high of $496.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.52 billion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.35. 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 (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.83 by $0.49. The firm had revenue of $10.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.77 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $5.50 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on NOC shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Susquehanna upped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, BTIG Research initiated coverage on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $565.00 target price for the company. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $510.36.

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.