Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Given New $77.00 Price Target at BMO Capital Markets

Key Points

• BMO Capital Markets has raised its price target for Hexcel from $67.00 to $77.00, suggesting an upside of 8.68% from the company's previous close.
• Other analysts have also shown positive sentiment, with UBS increasing their rating from "neutral" to "buy" and setting a higher price target of $80.00.
• Hexcel reported earnings of $0.37 EPS for the last quarter, slightly missing estimates, with revenue of $456.20 million, down 0.2% year-over-year.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $67.00 to $77.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "market perform" rating on the aerospace company's stock. BMO Capital Markets' target price indicates a potential upside of 8.68% from the company's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group raised shares of Hexcel from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $65.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 target price (up from $65.00) on shares of Hexcel in a report on Monday, July 28th. Zacks Research upgraded Hexcel from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Citigroup reiterated a "reduce" rating on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Hexcel from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $67.88.

Hexcel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HXL opened at $70.85 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $63.14 and its 200-day moving average is $58.07. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.64 billion, a PE ratio of 83.36, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.33. Hexcel has a 1-year low of $45.28 and a 1-year high of $74.35.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.38 by ($0.01). Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.29% and a net margin of 3.67%.The firm had revenue of $456.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $449.99 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Hexcel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.700-1.800 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 911 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.00, for a total value of $59,215.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,283 shares of the company's stock, valued at $278,395. The trade was a 17.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Thierry Merlot sold 8,897 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.86, for a total transaction of $568,162.42. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 51,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,276,528.88. This represents a 14.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.39% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of Hexcel by 1,918.9% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,178,259 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $123,050,000 after buying an additional 2,070,366 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Hexcel by 103.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,759,673 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $155,894,000 after purchasing an additional 1,405,538 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Hexcel in the second quarter worth about $57,697,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC increased its position in Hexcel by 416.9% in the first quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 1,166,489 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $63,877,000 after purchasing an additional 940,839 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Hexcel in the second quarter worth about $48,694,000. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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