Hantz Financial Services Inc. Has $5.50 Million Holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 14.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,714 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 1,472 shares during the quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $5,497,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.40% of the company’s stock.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $481.56 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $70.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.84, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $478.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $497.74. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $418.60 and a twelve month 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.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

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

Northrop Grumman announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to purchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on NOC shares. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $550.00 to $500.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Citigroup raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $587.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. StockNews.com raised shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 19th. TD Cowen raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price 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. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $550.94.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $286,183.41. This represents a 68.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 1,255 shares of company stock valued at $663,859 over the last quarter. 0.22% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.