Prudent Man Advisors LLC Has $460,000 Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Prudent Man Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 980 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 40 shares during the quarter. Prudent Man Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $460,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Northrop Grumman

In other news, 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 transaction of $82,383.36. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,217.72. The trade was a 21.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 291 shares of company stock worth $129,184. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NOC. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Truist Financial started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Northrop Grumman from $574.00 to $545.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $542.75.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $461.74 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $66.84 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $469.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $496.18. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $418.60 and a 12-month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.08%.

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.