Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 3,886 Shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII)

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII - Free Report) by 45.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,757 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 3,886 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries were worth $899,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 3,230 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 11,930 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $2,254,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. now owns 1,932 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 5,060 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $989,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Fulcrum Equity Management increased its position in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management now owns 2,114 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $559,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. 90.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Huntington Ingalls Industries Price Performance

Shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock traded up $3.62 during trading on Friday, reaching $219.22. 792,770 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 512,436. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.08. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $158.88 and a 1-year high of $285.81. The company has a market cap of $8.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.70, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.34. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $192.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $201.59.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The aerospace company reported $3.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.28 by ($0.13). Huntington Ingalls Industries had a return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 4.77%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. will post 13.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Huntington Ingalls Industries's payout ratio is 38.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HII has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $145.00 to $234.00 in a research report on Friday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $231.11.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries

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.