Good Life Advisors LLC Sells 170 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Good Life Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,581 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 170 shares during the period. Good Life Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,209,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 76.5% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 60 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at $29,000. IMA Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 196.3% during the 2nd quarter. IMA Wealth Inc. now owns 80 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 400.0% in the 3rd quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Tower Group LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Northrop Grumman stock traded up $1.30 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $478.66. 550,096 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 945,777. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $414.56 and a 52 week high of $496.89. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $457.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $461.31. The firm has a market cap of $71.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.34. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.80 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.43 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.50 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $1.87 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is 55.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $541.00 to $473.00 in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective (down previously from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $450.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $494.33.

Insider Activity

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 4,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,863,180.69. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,863,180.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock worth $1,421,147 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.