Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Receives “Underperform” Rating from Bank of America

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL)‘s stock had its “underperform” rating restated by equities research analysts at Bank of America in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a $65.00 target price on the aerospace company’s stock, down from their previous target price of $75.00. Bank of America‘s price target points to a potential upside of 2.02% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on HXL. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Hexcel from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the company from $57.00 to $70.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $81.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Hexcel from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.57.

Hexcel Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of HXL stock opened at $63.71 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $72.39 and its 200-day moving average is $69.68. The stock has a market cap of $5.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.38, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.23. Hexcel has a 52-week low of $58.81 and a 52-week high of $79.08.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $457.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.01 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 9.31%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.40 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hexcel

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Hexcel by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 53,624 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,955,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Hexcel by 2.0% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 7,294 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $498,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in Hexcel by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 4,476 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC raised its stake in Hexcel by 2.0% during the third quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 9,219 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $601,000 after buying an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. raised its stake in Hexcel by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 10,251 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $756,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.