Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $76.50.

HXL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Northcoast Research lowered Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Hexcel from $90.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Hexcel from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective (down from $75.00) on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Hexcel from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th.

Hexcel Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of HXL stock opened at $61.71 on Friday. Hexcel has a 12 month low of $58.81 and a 12 month high of $79.08. The firm has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a PE ratio of 49.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $71.37 and a 200-day moving average of $69.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.06). Hexcel had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 9.31%. The firm had revenue of $457.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.01 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.40 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. This is a positive change from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. Hexcel’s payout ratio is 48.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hexcel

In other Hexcel news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total value of $322,335.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 50,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,608,074.73. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total value of $62,294.40. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $243,337.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total value of $322,335.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 50,371 shares in the company, valued at $3,608,074.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HXL. CENTRAL TRUST Co raised its stake in Hexcel by 68.1% during the 3rd quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the period. Cetera Trust Company N.A bought a new position in shares of Hexcel in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Creative Planning bought a new position in shares of Hexcel in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Hexcel in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hexcel in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 95.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.