Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Lowered to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Friday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on HXL. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Hexcel to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Hexcel from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Hexcel from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.09.

Hexcel Stock Up 0.4 %

HXL stock opened at $58.30 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company’s 50 day moving average is $64.56 and its 200 day moving average is $62.76. The stock has a market cap of $4.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.30. Hexcel has a 1-year low of $56.85 and a 1-year high of $77.08.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.52. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.94% and a return on equity of 10.66%. Sell-side analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The firm 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 positive change from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.77%.

Institutional Trading of Hexcel

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Hexcel by 3.7% during the third quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,859 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $300,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Hexcel by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 14,766 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $926,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in Hexcel by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,159 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Hexcel by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,181 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in Hexcel by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 35,779 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,243,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.