Freestone Capital Holdings LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Freestone Capital Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 9.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 835 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $400,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 12,065 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at $870,000. Norden Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 1st quarter valued at $778,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 122,026 shares during the period. Finally, Red Mountain Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at $264,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. 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 report on Monday, April 22nd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $593.00 to $605.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $530.00 to $500.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $515.07.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC stock traded up $9.73 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $480.30. 1,164,624 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 785,878. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $496.89. The company has a market cap of $71.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.59, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.33. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $441.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $455.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.93 by $0.43. The company had revenue of $10.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.02 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.34 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.1 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. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th were paid a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 24th. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.72%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.87. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 57.62%.

About Northrop Grumman

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.