Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

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

HXL has been the subject of several other reports. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Hexcel from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Hexcel to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Hexcel from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Hexcel from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.09.

Hexcel Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE HXL opened at $62.26 on Thursday. Hexcel has a 12 month low of $57.50 and a 12 month high of $77.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $64.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $62.82. The stock has a market cap of $5.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.31.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.94% and a return on equity of 10.66%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hexcel will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal 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 represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.09%. This is a positive change from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.77%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Earnest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Hexcel by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 4,816,442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $301,991,000 after purchasing an additional 37,442 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 4,372.3% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,502,676 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $156,919,000 after acquiring an additional 2,446,716 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Hexcel by 24.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,996,363 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $125,172,000 after purchasing an additional 395,744 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Hexcel by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,482,249 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $92,938,000 after purchasing an additional 122,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Hexcel by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,437,058 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $90,104,000 after purchasing an additional 24,393 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.