Heartland Advisors Inc. Acquires 51,513 Shares of Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL)

Key Points

• Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Hexcel Corporation by 42.4% in Q1, now holding 172,922 shares valued at approximately $9.47 million.
• Research analysts have adjusted their price targets for Hexcel, with Royal Bank of Canada lowering theirs from $70 to $62 and BMO Capital Markets decreasing from $72 to $52.
• Hexcel recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.17 per share, representing an annual yield of 1.11%, with a total payout ratio of 62.96%.

Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) by 42.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 172,922 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 51,513 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned 0.22% of Hexcel worth $9,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hexcel during the 4th quarter worth about $66,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Hexcel during the 1st quarter worth about $61,000. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in Hexcel by 21.4% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,159 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $73,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Hexcel by 71.2% during the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 499 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in Hexcel by 61.8% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,272 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 486 shares during the period. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hexcel Stock Performance

Shares of HXL stock traded up $0.30 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $61.66. The company had a trading volume of 313,278 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,208,767. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $56.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.50. Hexcel Corporation has a one year low of $45.28 and a one year high of $71.05. The company has a market capitalization of $4.91 billion, a PE ratio of 57.05, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.28.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The aerospace company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $489.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $482.20 million. Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.76% and a net margin of 4.69%. The firm's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Hexcel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 27th. Barclays reduced their price target on Hexcel from $75.00 to $68.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Hexcel from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price target (up from $65.00) on shares of Hexcel in a report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Hexcel from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hexcel currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $63.33.

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.