Insider Buying: Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) Director Buys 400 Shares of Stock

Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) Director Catherine A. Suever purchased 400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $68.33 per share, with a total value of $27,332.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,076,060.84. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Hexcel Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HXL traded up $2.25 during trading on Monday, hitting $70.41. 1,234,836 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 956,226. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.17, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.25. The business's fifty day moving average is $69.74 and its 200-day moving average is $69.42. Hexcel Co. has a one year low of $58.81 and a one year high of $79.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.44. The company had revenue of $472.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $468.93 million. Hexcel had a return on equity of 8.97% and a net margin of 5.52%. The business's revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hexcel Co. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HXL has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Hexcel from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Hexcel from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. UBS Group reduced their target price on Hexcel from $77.00 to $73.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Hexcel from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $76.57.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel during the first quarter worth approximately $393,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hexcel by 16.2% during the first quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 21,292 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,551,000 after buying an additional 2,966 shares during the period. Grandfield & Dodd LLC boosted its position in shares of Hexcel by 0.4% during the first quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 320,918 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $23,379,000 after buying an additional 1,171 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lifted its position in Hexcel by 1.6% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 73,855 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,380,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Hexcel by 4.0% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,416 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $1,487,000 after purchasing an additional 794 shares during the period. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.