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Tuesday's Featured News This Defense Stock Has a $57B Backlog and New AI TailwindsWritten by Gabriel Osorio-Mazilli. Published 10/24/2025. 
Key Points - Huntington Ingalls' stock now trades near a 52-week high, although its market capitalization is significantly below the sector average.
- Government defense spending has led to an increase in the company's backlog, boosting EPS forecasts.
- AI implementation could raise margins to new highs, justifying the continuation of its bullish price action.
In the world of defense investing, some of the best opportunities come not from finding new names, but from re-evaluating essential companies that Wall Street may be underpricing relative to their strategic value. One such case is Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII), a major player in the United States defense sector with a market cap of $11.5 billion. 7 Cheap and Good Stocks to Buy Now 💰
Discover 7 massively discounted stocks ready for growth. This free report features companies like Stock #1, a niche AI leader in voice recognition technology, and Stock #6, an energy drink company rapidly expanding across major retailers. Don't miss out on these incredible opportunities. With geopolitical tensions heating up between the United States, China, and the Middle East, Huntington Ingalls stands to benefit from expanding government defense budgets. Huntington Ingalls' record backlogs, adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), and strong defense spending create a setup for long-term earnings growth and valuation expansion, even though the stock is trading near its highs. Huntington Ingalls Is at the Center of Naval Power The United States Navy is one of the most extensive and well-equipped in the world. The 2025 defense budget stands just under $850 billion, with roughly $40 billion dedicated to shipbuilding and related procurement, including aircraft carriers for the Navy. These allocations translate into direct revenue opportunities for contractors that supply critical military infrastructure, like Huntington Ingalls. Despite being the largest military shipbuilder in the United States and a major supplier of aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines for the Navy, the company trades at a modest valuation relative to its strategic importance. In its most recent quarter, Huntington Ingalls secured $11.9 billion in new contract awards, boosting its backlog to a record $56.9 billion. These backlog levels have not been seen since the COVID-19 pandemic and provide a long runway of predictable revenue. But there's a new factor that could significantly accelerate value realization: AI integration. How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing the Game According to management, Huntington Ingalls' AI implementation is set "to accelerate shipbuilding throughout," which could translate to faster production cycles, lower costs, and expanded margins. AI also has the potential to turn long-lead government contracts into more immediate earnings drivers. That transformation helps explain why HII stock is up 48.1% year-to-date and is trading at about 95% of its 52-week high, despite the long timelines typically associated with defense contracts. Analysts May Still Be Behind the Curve It's understandable that some investors hesitate to buy a stock near its 52-week high, particularly when analysts are not yet raising ratings or targets. Investors will soon learn whether the company meets—or beats—the Q3 analyst consensus forecast of $3.40 when the report is released on Oct. 30. Looking ahead, the MarketBeat consensus Q4 earnings per share (EPS) forecast for HII is $4.24, roughly 10% higher than the Q2 reported EPS of $3.86. Notably, the company's Q2 EPS beat the consensus estimate of $3.23 by a wide margin. These repeated beats suggest that analysts may still be too conservative, especially if AI continues to compress production timelines and improve margins. If these trends persist, Huntington Ingalls could see upside EPS revisions in future quarters—a key catalyst for further stock gains. Institutional investors appear to be taking note. In August 2025, Bank of America boosted its stake in Huntington Ingalls by 4%, bringing its total position to $160.9 million, equal to 1.7% ownership. This move suggests conviction in HII's long-term trajectory, given a business model that combines national importance with expanding financial returns. Huntington Ingalls: A Strategic Play on Defense and AI Huntington Ingalls is uniquely positioned at the intersection of national defense urgency and technological transformation. A $57 billion backlog, a proven track record as the Navy's shipbuilder of choice, and AI-powered efficiency gains make the company a rare combination of stability, growth, and upside surprise potential. For investors willing to look beyond short-term headlines, HII stock remains a compelling opportunity, even at current share prices.
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