Principal Securities Inc. Acquires 1,781 Shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII)

Principal Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII - Free Report) by 50.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,289 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,781 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.'s holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries were worth $1,000,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in HII. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $102,000. Creative Planning boosted its position in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 3.1% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 6,099 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,612,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 1.9% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 3,660 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $968,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 10.9% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 57,083 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $15,092,000 after buying an additional 5,631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.46% of the company's stock.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HII traded down $7.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $170.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 830,158 shares, compared to its average volume of 763,479. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $188.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $222.44. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has a one year low of $158.88 and a one year high of $299.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.57.

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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. will post 13.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Huntington Ingalls Industries's dividend payout ratio is presently 38.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Thomas C. Schievelbein purchased 2,120 shares of the business'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 purchase, the director now directly owns 7,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,313,120.94. This represents a 36.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $188.00 to $145.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Alembic Global Advisors lowered shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $210.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen lowered shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $180.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target 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. Two 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.com, Huntington Ingalls Industries 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.