Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Price Target Raised to $78.00

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) had its price target raised by The Goldman Sachs Group from $69.00 to $78.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a neutral rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Hexcel from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. UBS Group lowered shares of Hexcel from a buy rating to a neutral rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $87.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Hexcel from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $76.93.

Hexcel Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Hexcel stock opened at $61.40 on Tuesday. Hexcel has a 12-month low of $58.81 and a 12-month high of $79.08. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a PE ratio of 49.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50-day moving average of $71.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.54.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.06). Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.31% and a net margin of 5.91%. The business had revenue of $457.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $474.01 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.40 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Hexcel will post 2.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. This is a positive change from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hexcel

In other news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,608,074.73. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total value of $62,294.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $243,337.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total transaction of $322,335.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 50,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,608,074.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HXL. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Hexcel by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 8,268 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $492,000 after buying an additional 922 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its stake in Hexcel by 17.0% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 11,064 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $658,000 after buying an additional 1,609 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Hexcel by 10.6% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 17,097 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,017,000 after buying an additional 1,641 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Hexcel by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 16,823 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 2,567 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.