Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Buys 1,747 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 11.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 16,994 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,747 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $8,974,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NOC. Marco Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC now owns 16,450 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $8,687,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.6% during the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 927 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Capital Investment Counsel LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.8% in the third quarter. Capital Investment Counsel LLC now owns 17,332 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $9,153,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Northrop Grumman by 121.2% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 460 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,402,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 1,289 shares of company stock worth $685,273 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 2.3 %

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $485.27 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $519.87 and a 200-day moving average of $487.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.70 billion, a PE ratio of 30.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $6.18 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NOC shares. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. TD Cowen upgraded Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Alembic Global Advisors downgraded Northrop Grumman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $560.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $550.56.

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.