Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• "Moderate Buy" consensus from 12 analysts (six hold, six buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $383.22, while HII shares opened at $394.44 and sit above the 200‑day SMA of $360.40.
• HII beat expectations in its latest quarter with $4.04 EPS versus $3.72 expected and revenue of $3.48B (up 15.7% YoY); analysts forecast about $13.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $1.38 (annualized $5.52, yield 1.4%, payout ratio ~35.9%), and recent insider sales (EVP and VP) have reduced insider ownership to about 0.8%.

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $383.2222.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Huntington Ingalls Industries from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Huntington Ingalls Industries in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Bank of America raised Huntington Ingalls Industries from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $300.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup cut their target price on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $465.00 to $441.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Melius Research raised Huntington Ingalls Industries from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of HII opened at $394.44 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $15.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.36. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $413.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $360.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a 1 year low of $207.36 and a 1 year high of $460.00.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.72 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $3.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.09 billion. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a return on equity of 12.28% and a net margin of 4.85%.Huntington Ingalls Industries's revenue for the quarter was up 15.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.15 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 13.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $1.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $5.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Huntington Ingalls Industries's payout ratio is presently 35.91%.

Insider Activity at Huntington Ingalls Industries

In other Huntington Ingalls Industries news, EVP Eric D. Chewning sold 1,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $433.44, for a total value of $736,848.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $844,774.56. The trade was 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 this hyperlink. Also, VP Chad N. Boudreaux sold 4,400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $422.45, for a total value of $1,858,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 20,360 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,601,082. The trade was a 17.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Huntington Ingalls Industries

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. TriaGen Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,971 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $670,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. CI Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 16.7% during the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 231 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA raised its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 821 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 2,205 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $750,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 3.9% during the third quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,011 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.46% of the company's stock.

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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