Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $82.52 and last traded at $82.0760, with a volume of 1179512 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $80.75.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Hexcel and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Hexcel from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Hexcel from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.33.

Hexcel Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.98. The stock has a market cap of $6.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 98.06, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.08. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $456.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $449.99 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 3.67% and a return on equity of 9.25%. The business’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.47 earnings per share. Hexcel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.700-1.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 3rd. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is presently 80.00%.

Insider Activity

In other Hexcel news, EVP Patrick Winterlich sold 3,413 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 40,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,959,782.38. This represents a 7.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Lyndon John Smith sold 2,077 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.02, for a total value of $151,662.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 8,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $615,266.52. This represents a 19.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HXL. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new position in shares of Hexcel in the second quarter worth $26,000. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Hexcel by 379.0% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its stake in Hexcel by 65.1% in the 2nd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 497 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Hexcel during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Hexcel by 325.0% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 493 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

Hexcel Company Profile

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.