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

StockNews.com cut shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Thursday morning.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Hexcel from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Vertical Research lowered shares of Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Truist Financial cut their target price on Hexcel from $78.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Hexcel from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hexcel currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $71.33.

Hexcel Trading Up 3.2 %

NYSE HXL opened at $70.69 on Thursday. Hexcel has a 52 week low of $57.50 and a 52 week high of $77.09. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $63.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a PE ratio of 53.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.30.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52. Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 5.73%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hexcel will post 2.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. This is a positive change from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. Hexcel’s payout ratio is 45.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of Hexcel by 5.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,718 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 1,197 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Hexcel by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,406,287 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $87,829,000 after purchasing an additional 103,679 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in Hexcel by 779.8% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 39,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,510,000 after purchasing an additional 35,255 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hexcel in the second quarter valued at approximately $450,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Hexcel by 9.5% in the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 208,529 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $13,023,000 after buying an additional 18,040 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.