Quadrature Capital Ltd Has $11.45 Million Stock Position in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Quadrature Capital Ltd decreased its position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 69.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,685 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 48,679 shares during the period. Quadrature Capital Ltd’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $11,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 2.6% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 212,514 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $112,222,000 after purchasing an additional 5,334 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 20.0% during the third quarter. AIA Group Ltd now owns 7,458 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,938,000 after purchasing an additional 1,242 shares during the last quarter. Aviso Wealth Management boosted its position in Northrop Grumman by 110.7% during the second quarter. Aviso Wealth Management now owns 1,896 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna International Securities Ltd. acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the second quarter valued at $1,133,000. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Northrop Grumman during the third quarter valued at $4,089,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total value of $616,067.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $286,183.41. This represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders sold a total of 1,222 shares of company stock valued at $650,575 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NOC opened at $486.62 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $514.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $487.65. 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 market capitalization of $70.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.15, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.33. 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 quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $6.18 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. UBS Group boosted 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 boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $560.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com cut Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 28th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $550.56.

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.