Ieq Capital LLC Decreases Stake in Hexcel Corporation $HXL

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC significantly reduced its holdings in Hexcel Corporation by 45.2% during the first quarter, leaving them with 18,790 shares worth approximately $1,029,000.
• Hexcel reported a higher-than-expected EPS of $0.50 for the recent quarter, beating analyst estimates of $0.46, although its revenue decreased by 2.1% year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.17, amounting to an annualized dividend yield of 1.0%, with a payout ratio of 62.96%.

Ieq Capital LLC lessened its position in shares of Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) by 45.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 18,790 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 15,498 shares during the quarter. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in Hexcel were worth $1,029,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Hexcel during the first quarter valued at $61,000. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in Hexcel by 320.2% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,164 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 887 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Hexcel by 71.2% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in Hexcel by 413.7% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,536 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Hexcel by 95.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,125 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 8,897 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.86, for a total value of $568,162.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 51,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,276,528.88. The trade was a 14.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 911 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total transaction of $59,215.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 4,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at $278,395. This trade represents a 17.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.03% of the company's stock.

Hexcel Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of HXL traded down $0.48 during trading on Monday, reaching $64.41. 57,195 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,153,244. Hexcel Corporation has a twelve month low of $45.28 and a twelve month high of $71.05. The stock has a market cap of $5.12 billion, a PE ratio of 59.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Hexcel had a net margin of 4.69% and a return on equity of 9.76%. The business had revenue of $489.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $482.20 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Hexcel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.850-2.050 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Hexcel's payout ratio is 62.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of 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 reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 price target (up from $65.00) on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Zacks Research raised shares of Hexcel from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group raised shares of Hexcel from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $65.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Hexcel from $52.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hexcel presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $65.00.

About Hexcel

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.