Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC Has $322,000 Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 686 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 28 shares during the quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $322,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Down 3.6 %

Shares of Northrop Grumman stock opened at $438.70 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company has a fifty day moving average of $474.95 and a 200 day moving average of $499.39. The company has a market capitalization of $63.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a fifty-two week low of $418.60 and a fifty-two week high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 27.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.08%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on NOC shares. Barclays decreased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $544.56.

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.