First Command Advisory Services Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Corporation $NOC

First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,760 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,067 shares during the quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $3,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 176.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,970 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,394,000 after acquiring an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in Northrop Grumman by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 367.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,516 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,978 shares during the last quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter valued at $232,000. Finally, KG&L Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 2nd quarter worth $280,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, CEO Kathy J. Warden sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $615.00, for a total value of $1,845,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 191,602 shares in the company, valued at $117,835,230. The trade was a 1.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mark A. Welsh III sold 97 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $564.08, for a total transaction of $54,715.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,281 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,414,826.48. The trade was a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 10,097 shares of company stock worth $6,099,716 in the last ninety days. 0.23% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on NOC shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $770.00 to $777.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $700.00 price objective on Northrop Grumman and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and issued a $623.00 price target (down previously from $688.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 9th. Alembic Global Advisors raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $662.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $575.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $656.82.

Northrop Grumman Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $659.61 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $94.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.46 and a beta of 0.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $589.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $584.59. Northrop Grumman Corporation has a 52-week low of $426.24 and a 52-week high of $677.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.24%.

Northrop Grumman Company Profile

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is a leading U.S.-based aerospace and defense company that designs, builds and sustains advanced systems, products and technologies for government and commercial customers. Formed through the combination of Northrop and Grumman businesses in the 1990s, the company’s portfolio spans manned and unmanned aircraft, space systems, missile defense, radar and sensor systems, and integrated command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) solutions.

The company’s work includes airframe and platform manufacturing, space hardware and satellite systems, advanced mission systems and cybersecurity services, as well as logistics, sustainment and modernization programs.