Short Interest in Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) Grows By 17.1%

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 880,600 shares, a growth of 17.1% from the November 15th total of 751,800 shares. Approximately 2.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 503,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Trading Up 3.3 %

Huntington Ingalls Industries stock traded up $6.26 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $198.40. The stock had a trading volume of 398,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 355,341. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $217.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $245.30. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a one year low of $184.29 and a one year high of $299.50. The stock has a market cap of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The aerospace company reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.84 by ($1.28). Huntington Ingalls Industries had a net margin of 5.99% and a return on equity of 16.89%. The business had revenue of $2.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.70 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 14.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This is a positive change from Huntington Ingalls Industries’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.30. Huntington Ingalls Industries’s payout ratio is 30.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP D R. Wyatt sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.24, for a total transaction of $82,096.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 19,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,028,245.48. The trade was a 2.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Huntington Ingalls Industries

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries during the third quarter worth $29,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 2nd quarter worth about $37,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 484.6% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 152 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the third quarter worth $40,000. 90.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Huntington Ingalls Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $273.00 to $191.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Huntington Ingalls Industries from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $280.00 to $285.00 in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $290.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $250.00 to $195.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.89.

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.