Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL)’s share price reached a new 52-week high 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 traded. The stock had previously closed at $92.69.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on HXL. Bank of America raised Hexcel from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $60.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Hexcel from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley raised Hexcel from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $67.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $82.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Amy S. Evans sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 1,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $183,651.20. The trade was a 43.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in Hexcel by 379.0% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 325.0% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 493 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. MMA Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. grew its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 469.3% in the 3rd quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 575 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hexcel Stock Down 0.3%

The firm has a market cap of $6.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 66.41, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.01. The business’s 50-day moving average is $84.05 and its 200-day moving average is $73.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 2.26.

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

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given 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 is presently 52.17%.

About Hexcel

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.