Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $104.70 and last traded at $105.9520, with a volume of 3692 shares. The stock had previously closed at $103.81.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on HXL. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp began coverage on Hexcel in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. They issued a “sector weight” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $79.00 price objective on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hexcel currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $94.00.

Hexcel Stock Up 1.0%

The firm has a market cap of $7.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 69.00, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $94.57 and a 200 day moving average of $88.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.17. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 11.08%. The company had revenue of $501.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $488.11 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.37 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 4th were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 4th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.37%.

Institutional Trading of Hexcel

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HXL. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in Hexcel by 1,918.9% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,178,259 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $123,050,000 after purchasing an additional 2,070,366 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in Hexcel in the 3rd quarter valued at about $123,233,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Hexcel by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,104,121 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $377,196,000 after buying an additional 790,320 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Hexcel by 87.5% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,335,002 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $98,657,000 after buying an additional 623,032 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG boosted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 122.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 955,995 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $59,941,000 after buying an additional 525,900 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.