Hexcel Corporation $HXL Shares Sold by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Key Points

• Gamco Investors trimmed its Hexcel stake by 3.7% in the first quarter, selling 9,828 shares and leaving it with 253,964 shares worth about $20.6 million.
• Hexcel reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.59 versus $0.42 expected and revenue of $501.5 million, both above analyst estimates. Revenue also rose 7.7% year over year.
• Despite the stock’s sharp rise to around $110.15 near its 1-year high, analysts remain cautious overall with a consensus Hold rating and an average target price of $94.00.

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL reduced its stake in Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) by 3.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 253,964 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 9,828 shares during the quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned approximately 0.34% of Hexcel worth $20,553,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,104,121 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $377,196,000 after acquiring an additional 790,320 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 4.3% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,690,924 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $264,990,000 after purchasing an additional 191,649 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its position in Hexcel by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 2,506,068 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $185,199,000 after purchasing an additional 7,371 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Hexcel by 23.0% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,289,145 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $169,168,000 after purchasing an additional 428,541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in Hexcel by 5.9% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,283,626 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $129,002,000 after purchasing an additional 126,338 shares during the period. 95.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hexcel Price Performance

Shares of HXL opened at $110.15 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.33. The stock has a market cap of $8.31 billion, a PE ratio of 72.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.05. Hexcel Corporation has a 1-year low of $58.20 and a 1-year high of $111.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.37.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.17. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 11.08%. The firm had revenue of $501.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $488.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.26 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Hexcel from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $79.00 price target on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Hexcel from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on Hexcel from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $94.00.

About Hexcel

Hexcel Corporation is a global leader in advanced composite materials for aerospace and industrial applications. The company specializes in the development and manufacture of lightweight, high-performance products that enhance fuel efficiency, durability and structural strength. Its offerings are critical to the aerospace sector, where demand for lighter, more efficient aircraft drives continuous innovation in materials.

Hexcel's product portfolio encompasses carbon fiber reinforcements, pre-impregnated composites (prepregs), honeycomb core, engineered adhesives and structural film adhesives.

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