J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Sells 46 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. cut its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,211 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 46 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,976,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $438.70 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $474.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $499.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57. The stock has a market cap of $63.51 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced 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 net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. As a group, analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 27.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid 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 dividend yield of 1.88%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on NOC. Truist Financial started coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $544.00 target price for the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays cut their price target on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased 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. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently 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.