Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Stock

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $50.00 to $55.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "underweight" rating on the aerospace company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target would indicate a potential downside of 9.41% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on HXL. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Hexcel from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays cut their price target on Hexcel from $75.00 to $68.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Hexcel from $72.00 to $52.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Hexcel from $70.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Hexcel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, April 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hexcel currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $59.22.

Hexcel Price Performance

HXL traded up $1.74 on Thursday, hitting $60.71. 1,219,415 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 999,504. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $55.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.71. The firm has a market cap of $4.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.28. Hexcel has a one year low of $45.28 and a one year high of $71.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.59, a quick ratio of 1.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $456.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $482.18 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 10.36%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.44 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Hexcel will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HXL. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its holdings in Hexcel by 65.1% during the 2nd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 497 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Hexcel by 138.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 759 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares during the period. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new position in Hexcel during the 2nd quarter valued at $55,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Hexcel during the 1st quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in Hexcel by 320.2% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,164 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 887 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.