Vertical Research Downgrades Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) to Hold

Vertical Research cut shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has $65.00 target price on the aerospace company’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Hexcel from $65.00 to $62.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Hexcel from $71.00 to $70.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $86.00 to $84.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Hexcel from $73.00 to $71.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Hexcel from $63.00 to $61.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hexcel has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $73.46.

Hexcel Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:HXL opened at $60.47 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.29. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.75. Hexcel has a 52-week low of $57.50 and a 52-week high of $77.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 2.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The aerospace company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $500.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $484.26 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 9.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hexcel will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 2nd. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.28%.

Institutional Trading of Hexcel

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HXL. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel during the first quarter worth $36,000. Centerpoint Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Hexcel by 44.6% in the 1st quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 723 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new position in Hexcel in the 1st quarter valued at about $54,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Hexcel by 34.8% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the first quarter worth about $119,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

Hexcel Company Profile

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.