Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $76.63 and last traded at $76.2250, with a volume of 96484 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $74.83.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on HXL shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a “reduce” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hexcel presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.33.

Hexcel Stock Up 3.0%

The firm has a market cap of $6.18 billion, a PE ratio of 91.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 1.50.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $456.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $449.99 million. Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 3.67%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.47 earnings per share. Hexcel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.700-1.800 EPS. Analysts expect that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd were paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is 80.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Lyndon John Smith sold 2,077 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.02, for a total transaction of $151,662.54. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $615,266.52. This represents a 19.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Patrick Winterlich sold 3,413 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total transaction of $250,309.42. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 40,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,959,782.38. The trade was a 7.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HXL. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 14.5% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,135 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 4.1% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,879 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 22.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 867 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 21.7% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 924 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Hexcel by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,779 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $270,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.