Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) saw a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,500,000 shares, an increase of 31.6% from the January 31st total of 1,140,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 657,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days. Approximately 3.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock traded down $0.11 on Tuesday, hitting $172.57. 919,504 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 431,782. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $185.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $217.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a 52 week low of $158.88 and a 52 week high of $299.50. The company has a market cap of $6.75 billion, a PE ratio of 12.36, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.57.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The aerospace company reported $3.15 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by ($0.13). Huntington Ingalls Industries had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 4.77%. Equities research analysts predict that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 13.99 EPS for the current year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Huntington Ingalls Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.68%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on HII shares. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $250.00 to $195.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $188.00 to $145.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Huntington Ingalls Industries currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $221.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Thomas C. Schievelbein acquired 2,120 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $164.82 per share, with a total value of $349,418.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,313,120.94. This trade represents a 36.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntington Ingalls Industries

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 503.8% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the third quarter worth $42,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 43.4% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.46% of the company’s stock.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Company Profile

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc designs, builds, overhauls, and repairs military ships in the United States. It operates through three segments: Ingalls, Newport News, and Mission Technologies. The company is involved in the design and construction of non-nuclear ships comprising amphibious assault ships; expeditionary warfare ships; surface combatants; and national security cutters for the U.S.