Short Interest in Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) Increases By 68.7%

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 2,530,000 shares, an increase of 68.7% from the February 13th total of 1,500,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 753,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days. Approximately 6.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on HII. Barclays reduced their target price on 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 reduced their price target on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $188.00 to $145.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Huntington Ingalls Industries currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $221.22.

Insider Activity at Huntington Ingalls Industries

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

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 42.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 256,513 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $48,473,000 after buying an additional 76,070 shares during the period. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $434,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $8,074,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 90.7% in the 4th quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 15,568 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $2,942,000 after purchasing an additional 7,404 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. 90.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of HII traded down $1.10 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $207.47. The stock had a trading volume of 518,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 458,581. 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 firm has a market cap of $8.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.49. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $187.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $211.92. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a 12-month low of $158.88 and a 12-month high of $294.81.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The aerospace company reported $3.15 earnings per share 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 13.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Huntington Ingalls Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.68%.

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.