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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. 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 objective on 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. Two 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 data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $221.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Thomas C. Schievelbein bought 2,120 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $164.82 per share, for a total transaction of $349,418.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,967 shares in the company, valued at $1,313,120.94. This trade represents a 36.26 % increase in their position. 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 stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.56, for a total transaction of $142,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,884 shares in the company, valued at $546,691.04. The trade was a 20.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntington Ingalls Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 1,648.4% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 375,872 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $71,029,000 after purchasing an additional 354,374 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $65,215,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 132.9% during the fourth quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 420,102 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $79,387,000 after buying an additional 239,688 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 4,900.7% during the fourth quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 210,480 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $39,774,000 after acquiring an additional 206,271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Earnest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 32.6% during the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 831,965 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $157,216,000 after acquiring an additional 204,376 shares in the last quarter. 90.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE HII opened at $196.34 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 14.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.49. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a 1-year low of $158.88 and a 1-year high of $294.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $186.27 and a 200-day moving average of $213.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 12.81%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 13.99 EPS for the current year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. Huntington Ingalls Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.68%.

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.