Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Sets New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday after Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on the stock from $95.00 to $105.00. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a hold rating on the stock. Hexcel traded as high as $101.98 and last traded at $101.60, with a volume of 212971 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $99.31.

HXL has been the topic of several other reports. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. They set an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $79.00 price target on shares of Hexcel in a report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $91.91.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hexcel during the 4th quarter worth $914,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 3,435.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 42,920 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,172,000 after purchasing an additional 41,706 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Hexcel by 124.0% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 347,156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $21,767,000 after buying an additional 192,190 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Hexcel by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,289,145 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $169,168,000 after purchasing an additional 428,541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the fourth quarter valued at $1,621,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

Hexcel Stock Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $93.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.84. The company has a market capitalization of $7.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 65.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 2.45.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.17. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.07% and a return on equity of 11.08%. The company had revenue of $501.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $488.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.37 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 4th were given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 4th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.37%.

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.