Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $74.48 and last traded at $74.0350, with a volume of 161184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on HXL shares. Zacks Research upgraded Hexcel from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Hexcel from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Hexcel from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.33.

Hexcel Trading Up 1.4%

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $67.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.61. The stock has a market cap of $6.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 89.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a current ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.01). Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 3.67%.The firm had revenue of $456.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $449.99 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.47 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Hexcel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.700-1.800 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 3rd. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is 80.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Patrick Winterlich sold 3,413 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total transaction of $250,309.42. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 40,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,959,782.38. This trade represents a 7.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Lyndon John Smith sold 2,077 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.02, for a total value of $151,662.54. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $615,266.52. The trade was a 19.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 6,401 shares of company stock valued at $461,187 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hexcel

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Hexcel by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,879 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Hexcel by 22.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 867 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hexcel by 21.7% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 924 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 3.7% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,779 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp grew its stake in Hexcel by 65.1% in the second quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 497 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.