Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Sells 46 Shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,172 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 46 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Northrop Grumman were worth $1,147,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 108.0% in the third quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 803 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $424,000 after buying an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP bought a new stake in Northrop Grumman in the 3rd quarter valued at $210,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. boosted its stake in Northrop Grumman by 40.8% in the 3rd quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 3,660 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,933,000 after purchasing an additional 1,060 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Northrop Grumman during the 3rd quarter worth about $237,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Northrop Grumman by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 304 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. 83.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northrop Grumman Stock Performance

NYSE NOC opened at $500.34 on Friday. Northrop Grumman Co. has a 52-week low of $418.60 and a 52-week high of $555.57. The stock has a market cap of $72.90 billion, a PE ratio of 31.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $524.08 and a 200-day moving average of $486.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The aerospace company reported $7.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.07 by $0.93. The company 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 business’s revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $6.18 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 25.95 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were given a $2.06 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $8.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Northrop Grumman’s payout ratio is presently 51.05%.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

In other Northrop Grumman news, VP Benjamin R. Davies sold 1,156 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $532.93, for a total transaction of $616,067.08. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 537 shares in the company, valued at $286,183.41. This trade represents a 68.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,289 shares of company stock worth $685,273. Corporate insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective 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 upgraded shares of Northrop Grumman from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Northrop Grumman from $509.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen raised shares of Northrop Grumman to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $521.00 to $587.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Northrop Grumman has an average 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.