Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Sets New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday after Wall Street Zen upgraded the stock from a hold rating to a buy rating. The company traded as high as $95.22 and last traded at $94.8090, with a volume of 1267797 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $92.69.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Hexcel from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $94.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a report on Friday, January 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hexcel currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $82.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hexcel news, insider Amy S. Evans sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.80, for a total value of $139,200.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,979 shares in the company, valued at approximately $183,651.20. This trade represents a 43.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 817 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in Hexcel by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 11,928 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Hexcel by 14.5% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,135 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 4.1% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,879 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Hexcel by 22.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 867 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hexcel Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 2.26 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $83.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.36. The company has a market cap of $6.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.01.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $491.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $484.46 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 9.54%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 EPS. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This is a positive change from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.17%.

Hexcel Company Profile

Hexcel Corporation is a global leader in advanced composite materials for aerospace and industrial applications. The company specializes in the development and manufacture of lightweight, high-performance products that enhance fuel efficiency, durability and structural strength. Its offerings are critical to the aerospace sector, where demand for lighter, more efficient aircraft drives continuous innovation in materials.

Hexcel’s product portfolio encompasses carbon fiber reinforcements, pre-impregnated composites (prepregs), honeycomb core, engineered adhesives and structural film adhesives.