Spire Wealth Management Has $922,000 Stake in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Spire Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,959 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $922,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $283,114,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 74.7% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,174,556 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $517,028,000 after purchasing an additional 502,060 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,488,412 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,975,754,000 after purchasing an additional 410,736 shares during the last quarter. London Co. of Virginia acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth about $165,786,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2,801.7% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 330,499 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $154,720,000 after purchasing an additional 319,109 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $471.37 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $69.76 billion, a PE ratio of 32.96, a PEG ratio of 1.93 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. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1 year low of $414.56 and a 1 year high of $496.89. The company’s 50-day moving average is $465.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $465.24.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The aerospace company reported $6.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.83 by $0.49. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 5.38% and a return on equity of 24.09%. The business had revenue of $10.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.50 earnings per share. Northrop Grumman’s revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 24.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were issued a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. TheStreet cut Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $509.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In related news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total transaction of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The stock was 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 directly owns 4,137 shares in the company, valued at $1,863,180.69. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.