Huntington Ingalls Sees Surge in Short Interest

Aerospace company's stock faces increased short selling activity

Mar. 17, 2026 at 4:18am

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Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII), the largest military shipbuilder in the U.S., saw a significant increase in short interest on its stock in February 2026. The number of shares sold short grew by 27.7% to 1.8 million, representing 4.7% of the company's outstanding shares. This indicates increased bearish sentiment among investors towards the aerospace and defense firm.

Why it matters

Huntington Ingalls is a key supplier to the U.S. Navy, building nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines, and other complex vessels. A rise in short interest could signal concerns about the company's future performance or the broader defense industry outlook, which could impact its stock price and operations.

The details

The short interest ratio, which measures the number of days it would take to cover all the short positions, currently stands at 3.8 days based on the stock's average daily trading volume. This indicates the short positions could be closed out relatively quickly. The increase in short interest follows recent insider selling, with two executives selling a combined $2.6 million in company shares in early March.

  • As of February 27, 2026, there was short interest totaling 1,827,959 shares.
  • This represents a 27.7% increase from the February 12, 2026 short interest of 1,431,218 shares.

The players

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

America's largest military shipbuilding company and a leading provider of professional services to the U.S. government. The company designs, constructs and maintains nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines and other complex vessels for the U.S. Navy.

Eric D. Chewning

Executive Vice President who sold 1,700 shares of the firm's stock in early March 2026.

Chad N. Boudreaux

Vice President who sold 4,400 shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries stock in early March 2026.

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What they’re saying

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