StockNews.com Downgrades Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) to Hold

StockNews.com lowered shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on HXL. TD Cowen raised Hexcel to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Hexcel from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Hexcel from $87.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Hexcel from $61.00 to $50.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hexcel from $75.00 to $68.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hexcel currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.73.

Hexcel Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:HXL opened at $51.91 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.65, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08. Hexcel has a 12-month low of $45.28 and a 12-month high of $73.58. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $58.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.36. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.94% and a return on equity of 10.66%. Sell-side analysts expect that Hexcel will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This is a boost from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HXL. FMR LLC increased its stake in Hexcel by 11.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 77,493 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,791,000 after purchasing an additional 8,135 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $299,000. MML Investors Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 37,673 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,329,000 after buying an additional 1,497 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Hexcel by 32.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 70,023 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $4,330,000 after buying an additional 17,011 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hexcel by 59.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 33,076 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,024,000 after acquiring an additional 12,329 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.