Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lessened its stake in Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) by 44.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 63,856 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 51,249 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Hexcel were worth $3,948,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HXL. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 277.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,695,343 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $105,874,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246,765 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 307.1% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,079,598 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $67,421,000 after acquiring an additional 814,402 shares in the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 215.5% during the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 865,235 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $54,034,000 after acquiring an additional 590,975 shares in the last quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 280.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 722,290 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $45,107,000 after acquiring an additional 532,550 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

Hexcel Price Performance

HXL opened at $65.31 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $61.25 and a 200-day moving average of $63.09. The company has a market capitalization of $5.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.86, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.30. Hexcel Co. has a 1-year low of $57.50 and a 1-year high of $77.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.76.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.73% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The company had revenue of $457.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $457.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Hexcel Co. will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on HXL shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Hexcel from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Vertical Research lowered shares of Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, October 10th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hexcel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Hexcel from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.58.

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.