PFG Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

PFG Investments LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,199 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $574,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of NOC. CX Institutional raised its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 648 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 727 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $320,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 1,528 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $673,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management raised its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 2,903 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,278,000 after acquiring an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PDS Planning Inc grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 13.9% in the 3rd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 885 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $390,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC traded up $5.77 on Monday, reaching $486.22. The company had a trading volume of 714,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,003,827. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $414.56 and a 1 year high of $496.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.96 billion, a PE ratio of 34.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $463.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $465.78.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.83 by $0.49. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. The firm had revenue of $10.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.50 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 52.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NOC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $532.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $503.00.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

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.