RB Capital Management LLC Purchases 182 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

RB Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,504 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. RB Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,641,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. London Co. of Virginia purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at $165,786,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 74.7% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,174,556 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $517,028,000 after acquiring an additional 502,060 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 16,515 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $7,731,000 after acquiring an additional 2,723 shares during the period. Phraction Management LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $677,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in Northrop Grumman by 2,801.7% during the fourth 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 period. 83.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NOC traded up $1.34 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $486.37. 1,157,115 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,001,191. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The stock has a market cap of $71.98 billion, a PE ratio of 34.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s fifty day moving average is $463.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $465.75. Northrop Grumman Co. has a one year low of $414.56 and a one year high of $496.89.

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

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, February 26th were given a $1.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 23rd. This represents a $7.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NOC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. TheStreet lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a “b+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $509.38.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 955 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $450.37, for a total transaction of $430,103.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 4,137 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,863,180.69. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 210 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $454.68, for a total value of $95,482.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 3,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,421,784.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 3,149 shares of company stock valued at $1,421,147 over the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.