Magnus Financial Group LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Magnus Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 10.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 541 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on NOC. UBS Group raised their price target on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $550.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859. Insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Northrop Grumman stock opened at $502.03 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $478.98 and its 200 day moving average is $495.31. The company has a market capitalization of $73.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.10, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.35. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month high of $555.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. The firm had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. Northrop Grumman had a return on equity of 26.57% and a net margin of 5.79%. The company’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.18 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $2.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.64%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.05%.

Northrop Grumman announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the aerospace company to buy up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Company 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.