Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Given New $97.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) had its price objective reduced by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $110.00 to $97.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “equal weight” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 6.68% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Guggenheim began coverage on Hexcel in a research report on Monday, September 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Wolfe Research downgraded Hexcel from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Hexcel from $115.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Seaport Research Partners raised Hexcel from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $104.00 price target on the stock in a report on Sunday, October 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Hexcel in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.25.

Hexcel Price Performance

Shares of HXL stock traded up $0.70 on Monday, hitting $90.92. 300,977 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,084,134. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 1.37. Hexcel has a 52 week low of $61.81 and a 52 week high of $111.74. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $91.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $93.15. The firm has a market cap of $6.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.68, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 1.10.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The aerospace company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.09. Hexcel had a net margin of 7.76% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The company had revenue of $529.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $528.08 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.50 EPS. Hexcel’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.400 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hexcel news, insider Gail Lehman sold 13,829 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total transaction of $1,273,650.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 20,148 shares in the company, valued at $1,855,630.80. This trade represents a 40.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total value of $997,879.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $795,415.68. The trade was a 55.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.84% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HXL. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Hexcel by 2.3% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,340 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $432,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake in shares of Hexcel by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,803 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $180,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 3,598 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 16.3% in the 1st quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 1,035 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Hexcel by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 5,887 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $500,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Hexcel

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) develops and manufactures advanced composite materials and structural solutions for the aerospace, defense, space, and industrial markets. Its products are designed to help customers reduce weight, improve performance, and increase fuel efficiency in aircraft and other demanding applications.

The company’s product portfolio includes carbon fiber, specialty reinforcements, prepreg materials, honeycomb cores, adhesives, and other composite technologies. Hexcel also produces engineered composite structures and components used in commercial aircraft, military aircraft, helicopters, launch vehicles, satellites, and various industrial applications, including wind energy and transportation.

Hexcel traces its roots to the development of lightweight honeycomb materials in the mid-20th century and has expanded through research, manufacturing, and acquisitions into a global composites supplier.