Wells Fargo & Company MN Lowers Stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII)

Wells Fargo & Company MN reduced its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII - Free Report) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 89,872 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 7,324 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned approximately 0.23% of Huntington Ingalls Industries worth $16,983,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HII. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,056,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 2,154.9% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 7,802 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,474,000 after purchasing an additional 7,456 shares in the last quarter. Northcape Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,642,000. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 63.0% in the fourth quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 3,465 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 1,339 shares during the period. Finally, Essential Planning LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,457,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.46% of the company's stock.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HII traded up $3.62 during trading on Friday, reaching $219.22. The company had a trading volume of 792,770 shares, compared to its average volume of 511,773. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $158.88 and a twelve month high of $285.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $192.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $202.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.60 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.34.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The aerospace company reported $3.15 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 predict that Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. will post 13.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.46%. Huntington Ingalls Industries's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.68%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $145.00 to $234.00 in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Huntington Ingalls Industries presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $231.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Nicolas G. Schuck sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.56, for a total transaction of $142,170.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,884 shares in the company, valued at $546,691.04. This represents a 20.64 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Thomas C. Schievelbein bought 2,120 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was bought 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,313,120.94. The trade was a 36.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries

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.