Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Stock Holdings Cut by Olympiad Research LP

Olympiad Research LP lessened its position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 46.6% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 466 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 406 shares during the quarter. Olympiad Research LP’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $246,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of NOC. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 241.2% during the second quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 58 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Bank & Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Northrop Grumman by 245.5% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 76 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Northrop Grumman from $614.00 to $643.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $474.00 to $575.00 in a research report on Monday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $550.56.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

Shares of NOC opened at $529.02 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $77.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s fifty day moving average is $523.76 and its 200-day moving average is $484.96. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $418.60 and a 12 month high of $555.57.

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

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.05%.

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.