Fisher Asset Management LLC Sells 17,155 Shares of Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL)

Fisher Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) by 17.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 83,419 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 17,155 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned 0.10% of Hexcel worth $6,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hexcel in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,362,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC grew its stake in Hexcel by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 217,202 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $16,019,000 after purchasing an additional 30,652 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its holdings in Hexcel by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 155,323 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $10,118,000 after purchasing an additional 9,242 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hexcel in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,283,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in shares of Hexcel by 73.5% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 66,141 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,308,000 after buying an additional 28,010 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on HXL. Northcoast Research cut shares of Hexcel from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Barclays dropped their price target on Hexcel from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Hexcel from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. UBS Group cut their price objective on Hexcel from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Hexcel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.57.

Hexcel Trading Up 1.1 %

HXL stock traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $71.18. The stock had a trading volume of 1,305,043 shares, compared to its average volume of 960,189. The company's 50-day moving average price is $69.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The firm has a market cap of $5.92 billion, a PE ratio of 60.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.25. Hexcel Co. has a 12-month low of $58.81 and a 12-month high of $79.08.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44. The firm had revenue of $472.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $468.93 million. Hexcel had a return on equity of 8.97% and a net margin of 5.52%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hexcel Co. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hexcel

In other news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total transaction of $322,335.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 50,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,608,074.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total value of $322,335.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 50,371 shares in the company, valued at $3,608,074.73. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Nick L. Stanage bought 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $64.29 per share, for a total transaction of $964,350.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 392,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,230,353.34. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 43,400 shares of company stock worth $2,820,322 in the last quarter. 1.85% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.