Two Sigma Advisers LP Grows Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 20.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 888,700 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 153,100 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman makes up about 1.0% of Two Sigma Advisers LP’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned 0.61% of Northrop Grumman worth $417,058,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 443,663 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $208,207,000 after purchasing an additional 26,408 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 5,771 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,708,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 1,741.5% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 1,197 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 73,609 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $34,544,000 after purchasing an additional 4,931 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 17.3% during the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 25,920 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $12,164,000 after purchasing an additional 3,826 shares during the last quarter. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NOC opened at $472.67 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a market cap of $68.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.68, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15. The company’s 50 day moving average is $496.53 and its 200 day moving average is $485.48. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $418.60 and a 12-month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.33 by ($0.27). The business had revenue of $9.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.07 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 10.17%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 32.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,750 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $475.65, for a total transaction of $1,783,687.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 212,852 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,243,053.80. The trade was a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 464 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.75, for a total transaction of $213,788.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 245 shares in the company, valued at $112,883.75. This represents a 65.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,505 shares of company stock valued at $2,127,632. 0.23% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $557.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $424.00 to $521.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. Argus raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Northrop Grumman from an “underperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $545.31.

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.