5,416 Shares in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Purchased by Sepio Capital LP

Sepio Capital LP acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,416 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,535,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 1,782 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $784,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 524 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Northrop Grumman by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 844 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $395,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 727 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $340,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 493 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

Shares of NOC stock traded up $1.27 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $466.43. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 391,347 shares, compared to its average volume of 968,363. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $468.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $465.14. The company has a market cap of $69.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.58, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.34. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 1-year low of $414.56 and a 1-year high of $496.89.

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

Northrop Grumman Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 28th will be paid a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 24th. This is an increase from Northrop Grumman’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.87. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is currently 52.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NOC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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 research note on Friday, April 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $483.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Northrop Grumman from $475.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $514.33.

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.