LPL Financial LLC Acquires 75,576 Shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII)

LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII - Free Report) by 63.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 193,759 shares of the aerospace company's stock after purchasing an additional 75,576 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.49% of Huntington Ingalls Industries worth $39,535,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 71.9% during the first quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 153 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 1st quarter worth approximately $61,000. Institutional investors own 90.46% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HII shares. Wall Street Zen raised Huntington Ingalls Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Barclays lifted their price target on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $236.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. TD Cowen raised shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $250.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Alembic Global Advisors upgraded shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $265.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Huntington Ingalls Industries has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $251.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Huntington Ingalls Industries news, VP Edmond E. Jr. Hughes sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $231.91, for a total value of $301,483.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 9,581 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,221,929.71. This represents a 11.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Anastasi D. Kelly sold 1,960 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.58, for a total transaction of $455,856.80. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,485 shares in the company, valued at $4,066,661.30. This trade represents a 10.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 5,225 shares of company stock valued at $1,207,207. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HII opened at $269.26 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company's 50-day moving average price is $243.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $216.01. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has a 52 week low of $158.88 and a 52 week high of $293.14. The stock has a market cap of $10.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.15, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.33.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The aerospace company reported $3.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.63. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a net margin of 4.54% and a return on equity of 11.34%. The firm had revenue of $3.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.38 earnings per share. Huntington Ingalls Industries's revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. will post 13.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a dividend of $1.35 per share. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. Huntington Ingalls Industries's dividend payout ratio is 38.90%.

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.

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