Virtu Financial LLC Makes New $1.34 Million Investment in Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL)

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Hexcel Corporation, purchasing 24,459 shares valued at approximately $1.34 million in the first quarter.
• Hexcel's stock has received mixed ratings from analysts, with a consensus rating currently set at "Hold" and an average price target of $63.33.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.17, which will be paid on August 15th, representing a 1.1% dividend yield.

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 24,459 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $1,339,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HXL. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Hexcel during the first quarter worth approximately $61,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Hexcel during the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Hexcel by 71.2% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,200 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Hexcel by 95.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,125 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in Hexcel by 698.6% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,356 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 2,061 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.47% of the company's stock.

Hexcel Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HXL traded down $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $62.12. The stock had a trading volume of 222,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,187,583. The business's fifty day moving average is $58.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.69 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The company has a market cap of $4.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 57.52, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.36. Hexcel Corporation has a twelve month low of $45.28 and a twelve month high of $71.05.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The aerospace company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $489.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $482.20 million. Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.76% and a net margin of 4.69%. Hexcel's revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio is currently 62.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HXL. UBS Group increased their price objective on Hexcel from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (up from $65.00) on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Wall Street Zen cut Hexcel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, April 27th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Hexcel from $52.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Hexcel from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.