Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) VP Benjamin R. Davies Sells 192 Shares of Stock

Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 192 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $429.08, for a total value of $82,383.36. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $304,217.72. This represents a 21.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.5 %

NOC stock opened at $449.98 on Tuesday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $418.60 and a 1-year high of $555.57. The firm has a market cap of $65.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s 50 day moving average is $470.38 and its 200-day moving average is $497.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. Equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to repurchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $595.00 to $574.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $544.56.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Northrop Grumman

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.