KBC Group NV Boosts Stake in Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL)

KBC Group NV raised its position in Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) by 57.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,568 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Hexcel were worth $224,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 36.2% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,600,619 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $98,966,000 after acquiring an additional 425,402 shares in the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 34.8% during the third quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 973,352 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $60,182,000 after purchasing an additional 251,062 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in shares of Hexcel by 52.1% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 586,217 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $36,246,000 after buying an additional 200,722 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Hexcel by 588.3% in the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 205,458 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $12,704,000 after buying an additional 175,608 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Hexcel by 12.5% during the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 1,161,415 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $71,810,000 after acquiring an additional 129,335 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group increased their price target on Hexcel from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Hexcel from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Hexcel from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.09.

Hexcel Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:HXL opened at $64.14 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $64.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.67. The company has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a PE ratio of 40.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.31. Hexcel Co. has a fifty-two week low of $57.50 and a fifty-two week high of $77.09.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52. Hexcel had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 6.94%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hexcel Co. will post 2.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.06%. This is an increase from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.74%.

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.