Assetmark Inc. Increases Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 8.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,278 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,213 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $7,621,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 960.0% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 53 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 247.6% during the 4th quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 73 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Providence Capital Advisors LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the subject of several research reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. TheStreet downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $514.33.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC opened at $474.69 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $70.25 billion, a PE ratio of 33.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $468.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $465.13. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $414.56 and a 12-month high of $496.89.

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

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.74%. This is a boost from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.87. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 24th. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.31%.

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.