Earnest Partners LLC Purchases 37,442 Shares of Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL)

Earnest Partners LLC boosted its position in Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,816,442 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 37,442 shares during the quarter. Hexcel accounts for about 1.3% of Earnest Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Earnest Partners LLC owned 5.94% of Hexcel worth $301,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HXL. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 32.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 70,023 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $4,330,000 after acquiring an additional 17,011 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Hexcel by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,084,860 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $68,021,000 after purchasing an additional 24,133 shares during the period. Kopion Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Kopion Asset Management LLC now owns 97,960 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,142,000 after buying an additional 9,861 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the fourth quarter worth about $242,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 303.5% during the fourth quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 19,169 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,202,000 after buying an additional 14,418 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company's stock.

Hexcel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HXL traded up $1.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $49.48. 429,012 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 957,724. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 2.21. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $54.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.39. Hexcel Co. has a 52 week low of $45.28 and a 52 week high of $73.58. The company has a market cap of $3.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $456.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $482.18 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.94% and a return on equity of 10.66%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.44 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Hexcel Co. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio is 45.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen raised shares of Hexcel to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Truist Financial cut their target price on Hexcel from $73.00 to $67.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Hexcel from $72.00 to $52.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Hexcel from $70.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Hexcel from $61.00 to $50.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hexcel has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $61.20.

Hexcel Company Profile

Hexcel Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets carbon fibers, structural reinforcements, honeycomb structures, resins, and composite materials and parts for use in commercial aerospace, space and defense, and industrial applications. It operates through two segments, Composite Materials and Engineered Products.