Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Rating Lowered to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Sunday.

HXL has been the topic of a number of other research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Hexcel from a “peer perform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $110.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hexcel from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Hexcel in a report on Sunday, August 2nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $107.18.

Hexcel Price Performance

Hexcel stock opened at $102.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 2.43. The firm has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s fifty day moving average is $101.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.89. Hexcel has a 52 week low of $60.05 and a 52 week high of $111.74.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 7,712 shares in the company, valued at $795,415.68. The trade was a 55.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.84% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Hexcel in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Group One Trading LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Hexcel by 181.1% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.