Stokes Capital Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 7.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,830 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 991 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman comprises about 1.8% of Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $6,465,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 11,747,646 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,623,128,000 after buying an additional 621,636 shares during the period. Focused Investors Fund L P purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 1st quarter worth about $108,369,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Northrop Grumman by 4.8% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,634,043 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,218,132,000 after purchasing an additional 211,459 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $97,866,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the second quarter worth approximately $90,177,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.6 %

NOC stock traded up $2.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $506.66. The company had a trading volume of 580,332 shares, compared to its average volume of 960,531. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $414.56 and a 1 year high of $507.73. The company has a 50 day moving average of $452.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $458.64. The company has a market capitalization of $74.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.43, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.32.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.93 by $0.43. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.61% and a return on equity of 25.44%. The business had revenue of $10.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.34 EPS. Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.56, for a total transaction of $663,330.84. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 6,755 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,225,917.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,225,917.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Thomas H. Jones sold 1,390 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $500.00, for a total transaction of $695,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 4,634 shares in the company, valued at $2,317,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NOC. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $592.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Northrop Grumman from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $477.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday, June 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $474.00 to $575.00 in a report on Monday, July 29th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $593.00 to $605.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $440.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $521.33.

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.