Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $172.30, but opened at $186.50. Huntington Ingalls Industries shares last traded at $189.88, with a volume of 354,007 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HII has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $250.00 to $195.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Huntington Ingalls Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $221.22.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $185.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $217.34. 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 $7.58 billion, a PE ratio of 13.88, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.57.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The aerospace company reported $3.15 earnings per share (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, 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Huntington Ingalls Industries’s dividend payout ratio is 38.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Thomas C. Schievelbein acquired 2,120 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,967 shares of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the fourth quarter worth about $434,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $8,074,000. Pullen Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 90.7% during the fourth quarter. Pullen Investment Management LLC now owns 15,568 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,942,000 after buying an additional 7,404 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP bought a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank grew its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 20,947 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,958,000 after buying an additional 1,547 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.46% of the company’s stock.

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.