Analysts Set Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) PT at $76.50

Shares of Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $76.50.

HXL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Hexcel from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Hexcel from $90.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $65.00 price target (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Hexcel from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $66.00 in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Hexcel from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd.

Insider Transactions at Hexcel

In other Hexcel news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total value of $62,294.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $243,337.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 50,371 shares in the company, valued at $3,608,074.73. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.85% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its position in shares of Hexcel by 68.1% during the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the third quarter valued at $41,000. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI boosted its position in shares of Hexcel by 110.2% during the third quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 641 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

Hexcel Trading Up 1.3 %

HXL opened at $62.53 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Hexcel has a twelve month low of $58.81 and a twelve month high of $79.08. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.55.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $472.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $468.93 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 9.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. Analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Hexcel’s payout ratio is 48.39%.

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.