Weiss Ratings Reaffirms Hold (C) Rating for Hexcel (NYSE:HXL)

Key Points

• Hexcel's stock has received a "hold (C)" rating from Weiss Ratings, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.56 among analysts.
• BMO Capital Markets increased Hexcel's target price to $67.00, while Royal Bank of Canada raised it to $70.00, indicating a positive outlook from multiple analysts.
• Insider trading activity revealed a significant sale by insider Thierry Merlot, who sold 8,897 shares, resulting in a 14.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c)" rating reaffirmed by investment analysts at Weiss Ratings in a report issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on HXL. Zacks Research raised shares of Hexcel from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Hexcel from $52.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 target price (up previously from $65.00) on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Hexcel from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.56.

Hexcel Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of HXL opened at $65.58 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.69, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Hexcel has a 12-month low of $45.28 and a 12-month high of $71.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $62.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.33.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The aerospace company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.04. Hexcel had a net margin of 4.69% and a return on equity of 9.76%. The firm had revenue of $489.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $482.20 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. Hexcel's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. Hexcel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.850-2.050 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hexcel will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hexcel by 21.7% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 924 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 3.7% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,779 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 65.1% during the second quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 497 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 4.0% during the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,323 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $291,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 0.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 98,746 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $5,407,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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