Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Director Mark A. Welsh III Sells 33 Shares

Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 33 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.74, for a total value of $15,072.42. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 4,139 shares in the company, valued at $1,890,446.86. The trade was a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded down $1.06 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $454.08. 588,623 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 667,679. The firm has a market cap of $66.16 billion, a PE ratio of 28.13, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $488.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $492.28.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.05%.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $549.93.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 245.5% in the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

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.