Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) saw a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,827,959 shares, an increase of 27.7% from the February 12th total of 1,431,218 shares. Approximately 4.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 486,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days. Based on an average daily volume of 486,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days. Approximately 4.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $384.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $450.00 to $465.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Huntington Ingalls Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Huntington Ingalls Industries from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $300.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $384.13.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:HII traded up $3.79 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $420.38. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 25,236 shares, compared to its average volume of 569,999. The firm has a market cap of $16.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a 1 year low of $177.42 and a 1 year high of $460.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $417.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $343.36.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The aerospace company reported $4.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.72 by $0.32. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 4.85%.The firm had revenue of $3.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.15 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 15.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 13.99 EPS for the current year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Huntington Ingalls Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 35.91%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Huntington Ingalls Industries

In other Huntington Ingalls Industries news, VP Chad N. Boudreaux sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $422.45, for a total transaction of $1,858,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 20,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,601,082. This trade represents a 17.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Eric D. Chewning sold 1,700 shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.44, for a total transaction of $736,848.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $844,774.56. The trade was a 46.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Huntington Ingalls Industries

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 40.1% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 206 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the second quarter worth approximately $352,000. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 30.2% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,984 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 460 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 40.3% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 12,623 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,048,000 after acquiring an additional 3,626 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 66.6% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 533 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. 90.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Company Profile

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII) is America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a leading provider of professional services to the U.S. government. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII designs, constructs and maintains nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines and other complex vessels for the U.S. Navy. The company’s products include nuclear aircraft carriers, Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarines, as well as amphibious assault ships, destroyers and cutters.

Established in 2011 as a spin-off from Northrop Grumman’s shipbuilding operations, HII traces its heritage to two historic builders: Newport News Shipbuilding, founded in the 19th century, and Ingalls Shipbuilding, founded in 1938.