Channing Capital Management LLC Has $69.46 Million Stock Holdings in Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL)

Channing Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) by 8.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 941,772 shares of the aerospace company’s stock after selling 84,404 shares during the period. Hexcel makes up approximately 2.0% of Channing Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Channing Capital Management LLC owned 1.12% of Hexcel worth $69,456,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its holdings in Hexcel by 68.1% in the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new position in Hexcel in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. RiverPark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hexcel in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Hexcel in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Hexcel in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

Hexcel Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:HXL traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $68.16. 1,255,995 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,633,270. The company’s 50 day moving average is $69.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.39. Hexcel Co. has a twelve month low of $58.81 and a twelve month high of $79.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.25.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.44. Hexcel had a return on equity of 8.97% and a net margin of 5.52%. The firm had revenue of $472.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $468.93 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hexcel Co. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is 51.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Hexcel from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Hexcel from $90.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Hexcel from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Hexcel from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hexcel currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hexcel news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total transaction of $62,294.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $243,337.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total value of $322,335.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 50,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,608,074.73. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total value of $62,294.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $243,337.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 43,000 shares of company stock valued at $2,792,990. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.