Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Hits New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $94.46 and last traded at $92.1070, with a volume of 90257 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $92.43.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on HXL shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley upgraded Hexcel from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $67.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Bank of America upgraded Hexcel from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $60.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group set a $99.00 price target on Hexcel in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $82.17.

Hexcel Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $6.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.06. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $81.88 and its 200-day moving average is $72.27.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $491.30 million for 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Hexcel by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 817 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Hexcel by 1.1% in the fourth 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 position 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 buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hexcel by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,879 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.