Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Price Target to $86.00

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) had its price objective cut by Stifel Nicolaus from $90.00 to $86.00 in a report published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. UBS Group downgraded Hexcel from a buy rating to a neutral rating and cut their price target for the stock from $87.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Hexcel from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $80.00 price target on shares of Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Bank of America reaffirmed an underperform rating and set a $65.00 price objective (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Northcoast Research downgraded shares of Hexcel from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $76.50.

Hexcel Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:HXL opened at $61.71 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $71.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.52. The stock has a market cap of $5.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.77, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.23. Hexcel has a 52-week low of $58.81 and a 52-week high of $79.08. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $457.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $474.01 million. Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.31% and a net margin of 5.91%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.40 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. This is a boost from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. Hexcel’s payout ratio is presently 48.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hexcel

In other news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 50,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,608,074.73. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Hexcel news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now owns 3,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $243,337.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $3,608,074.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hexcel by 12.6% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 8,268 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $492,000 after acquiring an additional 922 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Hexcel by 17.0% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 11,064 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $658,000 after purchasing an additional 1,609 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Hexcel by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 17,097 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,017,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hexcel by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 16,823 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 2,567 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 22.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 34,884 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,087,000 after buying an additional 6,443 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.