Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) Shares Bought by Citizens National Bank Trust Department

Citizens National Bank Trust Department lifted its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,774 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $2,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman during the third quarter worth $36,000. Modus Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman in the third quarter worth about $40,000. 83.40% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $625.00 to $557.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com downgraded Northrop Grumman from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays cut 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. UBS Group decreased their target price on Northrop Grumman from $579.00 to $558.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on Northrop Grumman in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $544.00 price target on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Northrop Grumman has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $544.56.

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $433.63 on Thursday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52 week low of $418.60 and a 52 week high of $555.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $62.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $472.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $498.17.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The aerospace company reported $6.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.27 by $0.12. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 10.17% and a return on equity of 26.24%. Analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 28.05 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $2.06 per share. This represents a $8.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Northrop Grumman’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.08%.

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

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.