Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. Grows Holdings in Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL)

Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. boosted its stake in Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) by 18.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 290,988 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 46,115 shares during the period. Hexcel accounts for 3.6% of Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. owned about 0.36% of Hexcel worth $18,245,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Hexcel by 1,069.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 620 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI purchased a new position in shares of Hexcel during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Hexcel by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 840 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Hexcel during the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Hexcel by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,159 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.47% of the company's stock.

Hexcel Stock Performance

Shares of HXL traded up $0.08 on Friday, reaching $50.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 470,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 962,966. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $56.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.61, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08. Hexcel Co. has a 12-month low of $45.28 and a 12-month high of $73.58.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $482.18 million. Hexcel had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 6.94%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.44 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Hexcel Co. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on HXL. TD Cowen raised Hexcel to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Hexcel from $75.00 to $68.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Hexcel from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Hexcel from $72.00 to $52.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $61.20.

Hexcel 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.