Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) Stock Rating Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

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

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on HII. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “conviction-buy” rating and set a $406.00 target price on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in a research report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their price target on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $327.00 to $304.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $360.00 to $340.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Huntington Ingalls Industries from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Huntington Ingalls Industries from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Huntington Ingalls Industries presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $359.38.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE HII opened at $317.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.26. Huntington Ingalls Industries has a 52-week low of $255.35 and a 52-week high of $460.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $278.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $336.11. The stock has a market cap of $12.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.21.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The aerospace company reported $5.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.36 by $1.12. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a net margin of 5.42% and a return on equity of 13.95%. The firm had revenue of $3.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.68 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Huntington Ingalls Industries will post 18.51 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Huntington Ingalls Industries news, CEO Christopher Kastner sold 13,070 shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $324.92, for a total value of $4,246,704.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 11,224 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,646,902.08. The trade was a 53.80% 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. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Huntington Ingalls Industries

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HII. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries by 216.9% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 412 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $111,000 after buying an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 6,250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 127 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 4,845 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,294,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,422,000. Finally, Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Huntington Ingalls Industries by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,361 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,773,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.46% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about 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.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Company Profile

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.