Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) Short Interest Update

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,550,000 shares, a drop of 38.7% from the February 28th total of 2,530,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 776,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 4.0% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Price Performance

Shares of HII traded up $2.07 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $205.22. 560,211 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 483,881. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $188.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $208.26. The stock has a market cap of $8.05 billion, a PE ratio of 14.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.49. 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 12 month low of $158.88 and a 12 month high of $291.97.

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

Huntington Ingalls Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. Huntington Ingalls Industries’s payout ratio is 38.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Huntington Ingalls Industries news, Director Thomas C. Schievelbein bought 2,120 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $164.82 per share, for a total transaction of $349,418.40. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,967 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,313,120.94. This trade represents a 36.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Nicolas G. Schuck sold 750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.56, for a total value of $142,170.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,884 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $546,691.04. This trade represents a 20.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntington Ingalls Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries during the fourth quarter valued at about $48,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the third quarter worth about $60,000. 90.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HII has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $188.00 to $145.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays decreased their price target on 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $221.22.

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.