Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $47.89 and last traded at $48.42, with a volume of 1574161 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $49.80.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on HXL shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Hexcel from $61.00 to $50.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Hexcel from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of Hexcel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Hexcel from $72.00 to $52.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $70.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hexcel currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $61.20.

Hexcel Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.45, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $54.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The aerospace company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.06). Hexcel had a net margin of 6.94% and a return on equity of 10.66%. The business had revenue of $456.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $482.18 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.44 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hexcel Co. will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. Hexcel's payout ratio is currently 45.03%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HXL. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Hexcel by 32.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 70,023 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,330,000 after purchasing an additional 17,011 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Hexcel by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,084,860 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $68,021,000 after buying an additional 24,133 shares during the period. Kopion Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Hexcel by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Kopion Asset Management LLC now owns 97,960 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,142,000 after buying an additional 9,861 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $242,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC boosted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 303.5% during the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 19,169 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,202,000 after acquiring an additional 14,418 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company's stock.

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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