Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $72.25.

Several research analysts have weighed in on HXL shares. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Hexcel from $85.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Hexcel from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Hexcel from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of Hexcel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Hexcel to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th.

Hexcel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HXL opened at $48.27 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 2.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $60.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $61.89. Hexcel has a 52 week low of $46.21 and a 52 week high of $73.58. The company has a market cap of $3.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.36, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.52. Hexcel had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 6.94%. Research analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. This is an increase from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 4,372.3% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,502,676 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $156,919,000 after purchasing an additional 2,446,716 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Hexcel during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,241,000. Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its stake in Hexcel by 99.6% during the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 1,304,669 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $81,803,000 after buying an additional 651,062 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Hexcel by 249.6% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 815,658 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $51,142,000 after acquiring an additional 582,353 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its stake in shares of Hexcel by 1,153.9% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 535,962 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $33,546,000 after acquiring an additional 493,218 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.