StockNews.com Downgrades Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) to Hold

StockNews.com lowered shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Hexcel from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. TD Cowen raised Hexcel to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Hexcel from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Hexcel from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hexcel presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.09.

Hexcel Stock Performance

HXL stock opened at $62.68 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Hexcel has a 12-month low of $57.50 and a 12-month high of $77.09. The firm has a market cap of $5.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.31.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52. Hexcel had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 6.94%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This is a boost from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. Hexcel’s payout ratio is presently 42.77%.

Institutional Trading of Hexcel

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 18.3% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,704 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $356,000 after acquiring an additional 884 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in Hexcel by 13.0% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 110,521 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $6,833,000 after purchasing an additional 12,704 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the third quarter worth $210,000. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,490 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Hexcel in the 3rd quarter valued at $62,000. 95.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Hexcel

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.