Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Raised to Strong-Buy at Guggenheim

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) was upgraded by analysts at Guggenheim to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

HXL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on Hexcel from $113.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered Hexcel from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 16th. Bank of America downgraded Hexcel from a “peer perform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded Hexcel from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $108.25.

Hexcel Stock Performance

Shares of HXL opened at $91.11 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $6.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day moving average is $99.15 and its 200-day moving average is $92.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Hexcel has a 12 month low of $60.26 and a 12 month high of $111.74.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The aerospace company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $529.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $528.08 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 7.76% and a return on equity of 12.34%. Hexcel’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.400 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Hexcel will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hexcel

In related news, insider Gail Lehman sold 13,829 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total transaction of $1,273,650.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,148 shares in the company, valued at $1,855,630.80. This represents a 40.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total transaction of $997,879.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $795,415.68. This trade represents a 55.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.84% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Hexcel during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,422,742,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Hexcel in the 2nd quarter valued at $216,948,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Hexcel in the second quarter worth $51,460,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in Hexcel in the second quarter worth $39,649,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the fourth quarter worth $26,645,000. 95.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hexcel

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) develops and manufactures advanced composite materials and structural solutions for the aerospace, defense, space, and industrial markets. Its products are designed to provide high strength and stiffness while reducing weight compared with many traditional materials.

The company’s portfolio includes carbon fibers, specialty reinforcements, prepregs, honeycomb sandwich structures, adhesives, and composite tooling materials. These products are used in aircraft structures, helicopter components, rocket and satellite systems, wind turbine blades, and other applications that require lightweight, durable, and high-performance materials.

Hexcel traces its history to 1946 and serves customers through manufacturing operations and commercial activities in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.