Centre Asset Management LLC Makes New $7.85 Million Investment in Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL)

Centre Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 125,263 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $7,854,000. Centre Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Hexcel as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HXL. Earnest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Hexcel by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 4,835,994 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $302,008,000 after purchasing an additional 136,290 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Hexcel by 277.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,695,343 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $105,874,000 after buying an additional 1,246,765 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 36.2% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Hexcel by 8.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,406,287 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $87,829,000 after acquiring an additional 103,679 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 12.5% in the third 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 during the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HXL has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen upgraded Hexcel to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Hexcel from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $74.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Vertical Research cut shares of Hexcel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $65.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Hexcel from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Hexcel from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Two 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. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $71.33.

Hexcel Trading Up 2.0 %

NYSE HXL traded up $1.22 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $63.02. The company had a trading volume of 824,259 shares, compared to its average volume of 689,979. Hexcel Co. has a 1-year low of $57.50 and a 1-year high of $77.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $62.04 and a 200 day moving average of $62.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $457.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $457.07 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.73% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.38 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hexcel Co. will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Hexcel's payout ratio is 45.80%.

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.