Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Cut to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Hexcel from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wolfe Research downgraded Hexcel from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group upped their target price on Hexcel from $113.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Hexcel from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $107.18.

Hexcel Stock Performance

HXL stock opened at $101.27 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $101.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.04. Hexcel has a 12-month low of $60.05 and a 12-month high of $111.74. The firm has a market cap of $7.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The aerospace company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $529.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $528.08 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 7.76% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.50 earnings per share. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.400 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Investors of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total value of $997,879.50. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,712 shares in the company, valued at $795,415.68. This trade represents a 55.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.84% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Group One Trading LLC acquired a new stake in Hexcel in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new stake in Hexcel in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hexcel during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hexcel by 181.1% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.