Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Stock Holdings Lessened by Cambridge Trust Co.

Cambridge Trust Co. cut its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 27 shares during the period. Cambridge Trust Co.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $132,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 19.1% in the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 131 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. grew its position in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% in the third quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $784,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 1.6% in the first quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,371 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $613,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 2.2 %

NYSE NOC opened at $462.58 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12 month low of $414.56 and a 12 month high of $496.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $459.71 and a 200-day moving average of $464.26. The company has a market cap of $68.55 billion, a PE ratio of 34.32, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.35.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.80 by $0.47. The firm had revenue of $10.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.43 billion. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.23% and a return on equity of 23.07%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.50 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $1.87 per share. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 55.49%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (down from $515.00) on shares of Northrop Grumman in a report on Friday, January 26th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $540.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $505.00 to $475.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 26th. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, TheStreet downgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $494.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was 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 directly owns 2,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,231,761.95. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 1,273 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total value of $573,321.01. Following 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 SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Kathryn G. Simpson sold 711 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.22, for a total transaction of $322,239.42. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $917,317.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.