Yacktman Asset Management LP Has $189.89 Million Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Yacktman Asset Management LP lowered its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 405,617 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 2,331 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman makes up approximately 1.8% of Yacktman Asset Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Yacktman Asset Management LP’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $189,886,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 400.0% during the 3rd quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at $70,000. Rational Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $72,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 16.2% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 165 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,784.36. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total value of $322,239.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $917,317.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147 in the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday. Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $503.00.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded down $5.28 on Friday, hitting $482.78. The stock had a trading volume of 737,579 shares, compared to its average volume of 998,651. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $414.56 and a twelve month high of $496.89. The company has a market capitalization of $71.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $462.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $465.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.15.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.83 by $0.49. The business had revenue of $10.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.77 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 23.07% and a net margin of 5.23%. Northrop Grumman’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a dividend of $1.87 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.49%.

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.