Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Buys 6,601 Shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. $HII

Key Points

• Citizens Financial Group boosted its stake in Huntington Ingalls by 463.9% in Q4, adding 6,601 shares to hold 8,024 shares worth about $2.73 million.
• Two executives recently sold stock—EVP Eric Chewning sold 1,700 shares at ~$433.44 and VP Chad Boudreaux sold 4,400 shares at ~$422.45—reducing insider ownership to about 0.80%.
• HII beat quarterly expectations with $4.04 EPS (vs. $3.72 est.) and $3.48B revenue, announced a quarterly dividend of $1.38 (annualized $5.52, ~1.5% yield), and holds a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” (avg. target ~$383.22).

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII - Free Report) by 463.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,024 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,601 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI's holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries were worth $2,729,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of HII. NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 87.2% in the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 88 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 140.0% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 108 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 120.0% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 110 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Community Bank N.A. acquired a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the third quarter worth about $35,000. 90.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Eric D. Chewning sold 1,700 shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.44, for a total transaction of $736,848.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,949 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $844,774.56. This trade represents a 46.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Chad N. Boudreaux sold 4,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $422.45, for a total value of $1,858,780.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 20,360 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,601,082. This trade represents a 17.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock opened at $359.78 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $404.59 and its 200 day moving average is $369.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.29. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has a 1 year low of $215.04 and a 1 year high of $460.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The aerospace company reported $4.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.72 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a net margin of 4.85% and a return on equity of 12.28%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.15 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. will post 17.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a dividend of $1.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Huntington Ingalls Industries's payout ratio is currently 35.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on HII. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in a research report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $300.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $384.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $440.00 to $460.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $383.22.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries

Huntington Ingalls Industries NYSE: HII is America's largest military shipbuilding company and a leading provider of professional services to the U.S. government. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII designs, constructs and maintains nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines and other complex vessels for the U.S. Navy. The company's products include nuclear aircraft carriers, Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarines, as well as amphibious assault ships, destroyers and cutters.

Established in 2011 as a spin-off from Northrop Grumman's shipbuilding operations, HII traces its heritage to two historic builders: Newport News Shipbuilding, founded in the 19th century, and Ingalls Shipbuilding, founded in 1938.

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