Stokes Capital Advisors LLC Has $7.22 Million Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,377 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 508 shares during the quarter. Northrop Grumman accounts for approximately 1.9% of Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $7,216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $53,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on NOC shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $595.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen upgraded Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $550.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. The trade was a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE:NOC opened at $482.49 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $480.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $494.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.30 billion, a PE ratio of 29.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $418.60 and a 12-month high of $555.57.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The business had revenue of $10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.18 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.18 EPS. Northrop Grumman’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $2.06 dividend. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 51.05%.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman 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.