Aviso Wealth Management Purchases 1,893 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Aviso Wealth Management lifted its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 99.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,789 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 1,893 shares during the period. Northrop Grumman comprises 1.1% of Aviso Wealth Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Aviso Wealth Management’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,001,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 241.2% in the second quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 245.5% during the second quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $493.99 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $523.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $486.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.97 billion, a PE ratio of 30.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 12-month low of $418.60 and a 12-month high of $555.57.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.05%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 1,289 shares of company stock worth $685,273 in the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors cut shares of Northrop Grumman from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $560.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $550.56.

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.