Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Price Target Cut to $84.00

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) had its price objective decreased by stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $86.00 to $84.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 29.75% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $76.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a report on Friday, June 14th. Northcoast Research cut Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hexcel from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $81.00 to $95.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Hexcel from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Hexcel from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.86.

Hexcel Price Performance

HXL opened at $64.74 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Hexcel has a 12 month low of $58.81 and a 12 month high of $79.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.68. The stock has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.28.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 8.97%. The business had revenue of $472.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $468.93 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Hexcel will post 2.21 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Hexcel

In other news, CEO Nick L. Stanage bought 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $64.29 per share, for a total transaction of $964,350.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 392,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,230,353.34. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Nick L. Stanage acquired 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $64.29 per share, for a total transaction of $964,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 392,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,230,353.34. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $64.13 per share, with a total value of $641,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 17,803 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,141,706.39. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 43,400 shares of company stock worth $2,820,322. Insiders own 1.85% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HXL. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Hexcel during the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,597,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in shares of Hexcel by 143.6% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,466,380 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $108,146,000 after buying an additional 864,405 shares in the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Hexcel by 93.0% in the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,503,055 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $110,850,000 after buying an additional 724,280 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 114.4% in the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 436,321 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $31,786,000 after buying an additional 232,827 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 151.5% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 344,342 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $25,086,000 after buying an additional 207,434 shares during the period. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.