HighTower Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII)

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) by 17.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,583 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after buying an additional 1,256 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Huntington Ingalls Industries were worth $1,622,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AGF Management Ltd. raised its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 26,411 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,991,000 after buying an additional 1,061 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 600.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 20,213 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,820,000 after acquiring an additional 17,329 shares in the last quarter. Markel Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries during the 4th quarter worth $756,000. River Road Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,215,000. Finally, Marathon Trading Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the fourth quarter valued at about $841,000. 90.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Huntington Ingalls Industries

In other news, Director Thomas C. Schievelbein acquired 2,120 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $164.82 per share, for a total transaction of $349,418.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 7,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,313,120.94. The trade was a 36.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Nicolas G. Schuck sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.56, for a total value of $142,170.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,884 shares in the company, valued at $546,691.04. This trade represents a 20.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on HII shares. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $220.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $188.00 to $145.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Huntington Ingalls Industries currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $221.22.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Stock Performance

HII opened at $206.18 on Tuesday. 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 12-month low of $158.88 and a 12-month high of $294.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $188.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $209.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.09 billion, a PE ratio of 14.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.49.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The aerospace company reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.28 by ($0.13). Huntington Ingalls Industries had a net margin of 4.77% and a return on equity of 12.81%. On average, analysts anticipate that Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. will post 13.99 EPS for the current year.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Huntington Ingalls Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.68%.

Huntington Ingalls Industries 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.