L3Harris Technologies Inc (NYSE:LHX) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest fell 15.9% to 2,549,406 shares as of April 15, equal to about 1.4% of the stock and a days-to-cover of 2.3 based on average daily volume.
• Q1 results beat expectations (GAAP EPS $2.72 vs. ~$2.53; revenue ~$5.74B), management raised its 2026 EPS view, and orders/backlog were strong with a record $40.7B backlog and $7.8B of orders (book-to-bill ~1.4x); the company also confidentially filed a draft S-1 for a Missile Solutions IPO.
• Management gave FY26 EPS guidance of $11.40–$11.60, slightly below Street consensus, which contributed to a mixed market reaction and trimming of positions, while insiders sold roughly 19,025 shares (~$6.8M) over the last quarter.

L3Harris Technologies Inc (NYSE:LHX - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,549,406 shares, a decline of 15.9% from the March 31st total of 3,030,865 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,091,592 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days. Currently, 1.4% of the company's stock are short sold.

L3Harris Technologies News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting L3Harris Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat consensus — GAAP EPS $2.72 vs. ~$2.53 expected and revenue $5.7B (up ~12% y/y); operating margin expanded and management raised its 2026 EPS view after the quarter. This underpins the company's profitability and supports earnings momentum. Zacks: L3Harris Q1 Beats
• Positive Sentiment: Strong demand and backlog — orders of $7.8B, book-to-bill ~1.4x and backlog rose to a record $40.7B; missile solutions revenue grew ~18% driven by Pentagon demand. These order trends support near-term revenue visibility. Business Wire: Q1 Results & Orders
• Neutral Sentiment: Missile unit IPO process initiated — L3Harris confidentially filed a draft S-1 for an IPO of its Missile Solutions business. This could unlock value long term but timing, size and terms remain uncertain. Reuters: Confidential S-1 Filed
• Negative Sentiment: FY26 guidance slightly under Street expectations — management gave EPS guidance of $11.40–$11.60 (consensus ~$11.64) and revenue guidance roughly in line but slightly wide. The small shortfall versus consensus appears to have triggered profit-taking despite the beat. MarketBeat: Guidance & Stats
• Negative Sentiment: Immediate market reaction mixed — some headlines note the stock fell after earnings, indicating investors focused on guidance/details and may be trimming positions after the run-up. Short-term volatility could persist. Barron's: Stock Falls After Earnings

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings cut L3Harris Technologies from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of L3Harris Technologies in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating on shares of L3Harris Technologies in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on L3Harris Technologies from $340.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Vertical Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $355.00 price target on shares of L3Harris Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, L3Harris Technologies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $349.55.

Insider Transactions at L3Harris Technologies

In related news, VP Melanie Rakita sold 2,378 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $341.45, for a total transaction of $811,968.10. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 4,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,666,958.90. This represents a 32.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Samir Mehta sold 5,528 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $370.32, for a total value of $2,047,128.96. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,756 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,872,201.92. This trade represents a 41.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 19,025 shares of company stock worth $6,824,370 over the last quarter. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On L3Harris Technologies

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac bought a new position in L3Harris Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in L3Harris Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in L3Harris Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in L3Harris Technologies during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, American National Bank & Trust boosted its stake in L3Harris Technologies by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 97 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.76% of the company's stock.

L3Harris Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LHX traded down $6.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $314.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 283,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,503,100. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.72 billion, a PE ratio of 36.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $352.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $323.34. L3Harris Technologies has a 52 week low of $214.10 and a 52 week high of $379.23.

L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $5.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.42 billion. L3Harris Technologies had a return on equity of 10.43% and a net margin of 7.35%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.41 earnings per share. L3Harris Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.400-11.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that L3Harris Technologies will post 11.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

L3Harris Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. L3Harris Technologies's dividend payout ratio is 58.62%.

About L3Harris Technologies

L3Harris Technologies NYSE: LHX is an American aerospace and defense company formed in 2019 through the combination of L3 Technologies and Harris Corporation. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company designs, manufactures and supports a broad range of technology solutions for government and commercial customers, with a particular emphasis on defense, intelligence and public safety applications.

The company's offerings span communications systems, avionics, electronic warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors, space systems and mission integration.

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