Catalyst Financial Partners LLC Sells 34 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Catalyst Financial Partners LLC trimmed its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,467 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 34 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $587.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $454.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $476.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $499.78. 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 $65.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.35.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. Equities research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 27.94 EPS for the current year.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.81%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

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.