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

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII - Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,550,000 shares, a decrease of 38.7% from the February 28th total of 2,530,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 776,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days. Approximately 4.0% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut 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 report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays reduced 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 report on Monday, February 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $221.22.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:HII traded up $2.92 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $205.12. 499,990 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 486,422. The business's 50-day moving average price is $188.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $207.45. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a 12 month low of $158.88 and a 12 month high of $289.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.49.

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Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 12.81% and a net margin of 4.77%. Analysts predict that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 13.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Huntington Ingalls Industries news, Director Thomas C. Schievelbein acquired 2,120 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $164.82 per share, for a total transaction of $349,418.40. Following the purchase, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Nicolas G. Schuck sold 750 shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,884 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $546,691.04. The trade was a 20.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HII. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 43.4% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 281 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. 90.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.