UBS Group Lowers Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Price Target to $73.00

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) had its price objective decreased by analysts at UBS Group from $77.00 to $73.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 16.00% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on HXL. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Hexcel from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered Hexcel from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $70.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Hexcel from $90.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $65.00 target price (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.57.

Hexcel Stock Down 1.0 %

HXL stock traded down $0.64 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $62.93. The stock had a trading volume of 706,036 shares, compared to its average volume of 895,739. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $71.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.52. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $5.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.68, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.23. Hexcel has a 1-year low of $58.81 and a 1-year high of $79.08.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.44. Hexcel had a return on equity of 8.91% and a net margin of 5.52%. The business had revenue of $472.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $468.93 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hexcel will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total transaction of $322,335.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 50,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,608,074.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total transaction of $62,294.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $243,337.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total value of $322,335.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 50,371 shares in the company, valued at $3,608,074.73. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.85% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Hexcel by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,846,871 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $578,707,000 after buying an additional 27,850 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC grew its position in Hexcel by 1.1% during the third quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 4,344,230 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $282,983,000 after purchasing an additional 47,591 shares in the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Hexcel by 93.0% in the 4th 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 during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Hexcel by 143.6% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,466,380 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $108,146,000 after buying an additional 864,405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP grew its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 1,462,293 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $95,254,000 after acquiring an additional 231,207 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.