MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Purchases 519 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $12,744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Modus Advisors LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth $53,000. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859. 0.22% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NOC. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $595.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. TD Cowen raised Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $550.94.

Northrop Grumman Stock Up 0.3 %

NOC stock opened at $482.49 on Monday. The stock 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 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week 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. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $480.55 and a 200 day moving average of $494.10.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.07 by $0.93. The business had revenue of $10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $6.18 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

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

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.