Short Interest in Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) Drops By 15.0%

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) was the target of a large drop in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 544,400 shares, a drop of 15.0% from the June 30th total of 640,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 307,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Stock Performance

Shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock traded up $1.33 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $277.36. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 301,839 shares, compared to its average volume of 301,796. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a one year low of $199.11 and a one year high of $299.50. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $252.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $266.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $10.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.53.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The aerospace company reported $3.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.50 by $0.37. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a net margin of 6.09% and a return on equity of 18.08%. The firm had revenue of $2.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.23 earnings per share. Huntington Ingalls Industries’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 16.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 14th. Investors of record on Friday, May 31st were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st. Huntington Ingalls Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Jennifer R. Boykin sold 1,043 shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.03, for a total transaction of $262,867.29. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 11,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,014,530.83. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Edmond E. Jr. Hughes sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.07, for a total transaction of $384,105.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 8,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,083,129.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Jennifer R. Boykin sold 1,043 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.03, for a total transaction of $262,867.29. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,014,530.83. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 78.3% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 189 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 16.5% during the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 20,647 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,086,000 after acquiring an additional 2,927 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 40.4% during the second quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $284,000 after acquiring an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. 1834 Investment Advisors Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 2nd quarter worth about $483,000. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 8.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 5,889 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,451,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.46% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on HII. StockNews.com lowered shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Citigroup began coverage on Huntington Ingalls Industries in a research note on Monday, May 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $310.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $278.00.

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.