Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Grows Position in Hexcel Corporation $HXL

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) by 15.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,826 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,642 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Hexcel were worth $2,363,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its stake in Hexcel by 3.1% in the second quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 12,218 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $690,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Hexcel by 1.2% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 674,241 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $38,088,000 after acquiring an additional 8,172 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in Hexcel by 16.7% in the second quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 36,171 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,043,000 after acquiring an additional 5,179 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in Hexcel by 15.4% in the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 6,005 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Ethic Inc. purchased a new stake in Hexcel in the second quarter worth about $377,000. 95.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on HXL shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hexcel presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $72.00.

Insider Activity at Hexcel

In related news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 8,897 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider owned 51,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,276,528.88. This represents a 14.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 911 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $278,395. This trade represents a 17.54% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 2.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hexcel Stock Performance

Shares of Hexcel stock opened at $72.64 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.46, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $63.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.64. Hexcel Corporation has a 52 week low of $45.28 and a 52 week high of $74.35.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $456.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $449.99 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 3.67% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. Hexcel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.700-1.800 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 3rd. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is 80.00%.

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.