Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Thursday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on HXL. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Hexcel from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. TD Cowen upgraded Hexcel to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. UBS Group increased their price target on Hexcel from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Hexcel from $78.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Hexcel from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $71.33.

Hexcel Price Performance

NYSE:HXL opened at $70.69 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $63.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.69. Hexcel has a 12 month low of $57.50 and a 12 month high of $77.09. The firm has a market cap of $5.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.52. Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 5.73%. On average, analysts expect that Hexcel will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This is a boost from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.80%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Hexcel by 5.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,718 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 1,197 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Hexcel by 8.0% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,406,287 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $87,829,000 after buying an additional 103,679 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 779.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 39,776 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,510,000 after buying an additional 35,255 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Hexcel during the 2nd quarter worth about $450,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in Hexcel by 9.5% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 208,529 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $13,023,000 after acquiring an additional 18,040 shares during the period. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hexcel

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.