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

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $79.21 and last traded at $78.6650, with a volume of 458156 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $78.41.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Hexcel and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.33.

Hexcel Stock Up 1.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 2.75. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.08.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released 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 company had revenue of $456.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $449.99 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 3.67% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. Hexcel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.700-1.800 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.00%.

Insider Transactions at Hexcel

In other news, EVP Patrick Winterlich sold 3,413 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total transaction of $250,309.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 40,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,959,782.38. This trade represents a 7.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Lyndon John Smith sold 2,077 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,426 shares in the company, valued at approximately $615,266.52. This represents a 19.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.39% of the stock is currently 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. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its position in Hexcel by 1.2% during the second quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 541,899 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $30,834,000 after buying an additional 6,167 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 16.7% during the 2nd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 36,171 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,043,000 after acquiring an additional 5,179 shares during the period. AXQ Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 101.1% during the 2nd quarter. AXQ Capital LP now owns 16,446 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $929,000 after acquiring an additional 8,269 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Hexcel in the 2nd quarter valued at $3,418,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Hexcel by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 43,744 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,471,000 after purchasing an additional 6,420 shares during the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.