Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) Stock Lifted to Buy by Wall Street Zen

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $360.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $327.00 to $304.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Huntington Ingalls Industries from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “conviction-buy” rating and issued a $406.00 target price on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in a report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Huntington Ingalls Industries from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $364.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $359.38.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Trading Up 0.3%

Huntington Ingalls Industries stock opened at $317.24 on Friday. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a one year low of $255.35 and a one year high of $460.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $278.01 and its 200 day moving average is $336.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $5.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.36 by $1.12. The business had revenue of $3.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.38 billion. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 13.95%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.68 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 18.51 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Huntington Ingalls Industries

In related news, CEO Christopher Kastner sold 13,070 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $324.92, for a total value of $4,246,704.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 11,224 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,646,902.08. This represents a 53.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntington Ingalls Industries

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 6,250.0% in the third quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 127 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries during the first quarter worth $36,000. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. purchased a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the third quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the third quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors own 90.46% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Huntington Ingalls Industries

Here are the key news stories impacting Huntington Ingalls Industries this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results significantly exceeded expectations. HII reported adjusted earnings of $5.48 per share, well above the roughly $4.36–$4.41 analyst consensus and up from $3.68 a year earlier. Revenue rose 10.8% year over year to $3.54 billion, beating estimates of approximately $3.38 billion. HII Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Shipbuilding execution and margins improved. Higher shipbuilding volumes, contract awards and operational improvements helped drive the earnings beat. Reports cited an approximately 180-basis-point expansion in operating margin to 7.4%, including benefits from legacy-contract roll-offs at Newport News Shipbuilding.
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue visibility remains strong. Approximately 90% of shipbuilding revenue is reportedly covered by contracts through 2030, supporting confidence in future sales. HII also highlighted demand for unmanned systems, including a new sea-drone program for the U.S. Navy, which could provide an additional growth avenue. Huntington Ingalls is building a new sea drone for the US Navy
• Positive Sentiment: Cash generation reinforced the earnings quality. Free cash flow reportedly reached roughly twice reported net income in the quarter, while management raised its shipbuilding outlook. Wall Street coverage remains generally supportive, with HII receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management appointed a new chief human resources officer. Renee Swan will become executive vice president and CHRO on Dec. 7, 2026, joining from Atmus Filtration Technologies. The change is strategically relevant but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings. HII Appoints Renee Swan as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
• Negative Sentiment: Political and funding risks limit the upside. Analysts noted that defense-spending constraints and potential congressional gridlock could slow contract growth despite HII’s secure backlog. The stock’s rally therefore reflects strong current execution, but investors may remain cautious about longer-term expansion.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc (NYSE:HII) is an American defense company that designs, builds, maintains and modernizes ships for the U.S. Navy and other government customers. Its shipbuilding activities include nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines, amphibious assault ships, destroyers and other surface vessels, along with fleet sustainment and modernization services.

HII operates through its Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding divisions. Newport News Shipbuilding is involved in the construction and maintenance of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, while Ingalls Shipbuilding builds surface combatants and amphibious ships.