Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) Receives $71.33 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $73.25.

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Vertical Research cut Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen upgraded Hexcel to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Hexcel from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday.

Hexcel Trading Down 4.5 %

Shares of Hexcel stock opened at $67.48 on Monday. Hexcel has a 1 year low of $57.50 and a 1 year high of $77.09. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.68. The company has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.44, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.52. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.94% and a return on equity of 10.55%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hexcel will post 2.34 EPS for the current 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 paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. This is a boost from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Hexcel’s payout ratio is 42.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Hexcel by 277.9% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,695,343 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $105,874,000 after purchasing an additional 1,246,765 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 307.1% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,079,598 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $67,421,000 after buying an additional 814,402 shares during the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its position in Hexcel by 215.5% during the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 865,235 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $54,034,000 after buying an additional 590,975 shares in the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its holdings in Hexcel by 1,153.9% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 535,962 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $33,546,000 after acquiring an additional 493,218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Hexcel by 36.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,600,619 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $98,966,000 after acquiring an additional 425,402 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is currently 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.