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

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,500,000 shares, an increase of 31.6% from the January 31st total of 1,140,000 shares. Currently, 3.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 657,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Stock Performance

HII opened at $194.05 on Thursday. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a 12-month low of $158.88 and a 12-month high of $295.74. The company has a market cap of $7.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.90, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.57. 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 company’s 50 day moving average is $185.42 and its 200 day moving average is $217.34.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The aerospace company reported $3.15 EPS 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, equities research analysts predict that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 13.99 EPS for the current year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Huntington Ingalls Industries’s payout ratio is 38.68%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $250.00 to $195.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $188.00 to $145.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Huntington Ingalls Industries currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $221.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Thomas C. Schievelbein purchased 2,120 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were bought 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,313,120.94. This trade represents a 36.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntington Ingalls Industries

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 503.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 157 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the third quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.46% of the company’s stock.

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.