Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Stock Price Down 3.5% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) dropped 3.5% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $68.12 and last traded at $68.20. Approximately 570,556 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 1,366,601 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.69.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HXL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Hexcel from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Vertical Research lowered Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Hexcel from $76.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Hexcel from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.25.

Hexcel Stock Down 4.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.44, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $63.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $62.70.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.94% and a return on equity of 10.55%. Equities research analysts expect that Hexcel Co. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $0.17 dividend. This is a boost from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. Hexcel’s payout ratio is 37.74%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hexcel by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,718 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 1,197 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in Hexcel by 46.0% during the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 85,450 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $5,382,000 after purchasing an additional 26,909 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Hexcel during the second quarter worth about $9,989,000. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Hexcel by 35.3% in the 2nd quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,687 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 1,224 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of Hexcel by 215.5% in the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 865,235 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $54,034,000 after buying an additional 590,975 shares in 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.