Squarepoint Ops LLC Acquires 72,660 Shares of Hexcel Corporation $HXL

Key Points

• Squarepoint Ops increased its Hexcel stake by 26.8% in the second quarter, acquiring 72,660 shares to own 343,283 shares valued at approximately $34.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 95.47% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $107.18. Five analysts rate Hexcel a Buy, nine a Hold, and one a Sell.
• Hexcel exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.66 EPS and $529.3 million in revenue, up 8% year over year. The company maintained 2026 EPS guidance of $2.30–$2.40 and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share.

Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) by 26.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 343,283 shares of the aerospace company's stock after acquiring an additional 72,660 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.45% of Hexcel worth $34,349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Hexcel during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Group One Trading LLC bought a new position in shares of Hexcel in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc bought a new position in shares of Hexcel in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hexcel during the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Hexcel by 181.1% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on HXL shares. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Sunday, August 2nd. Bank of America lowered Hexcel from a "peer perform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $110.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Hexcel from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Hexcel from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $107.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total value of $997,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at $795,415.68. This trade represents a 55.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Gail Lehman sold 13,829 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $1,273,650.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,148 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,855,630.80. The trade was a 40.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.84% of the company's stock.

Hexcel Price Performance

Shares of HXL opened at $91.21 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $100.16 and a 200-day moving average of $92.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.05. Hexcel Corporation has a twelve month low of $60.26 and a twelve month high of $111.74.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The aerospace company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $528.08 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. Hexcel's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.400 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio is 36.18%.

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.

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