Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Price Target Lowered to $86.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) had its price objective decreased by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $90.00 to $86.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price would suggest a potential upside of 38.73% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on HXL. UBS Group cut shares of Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $87.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 30th. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $65.00 target price (down from $75.00) on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Hexcel from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Hexcel from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Hexcel from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.93.

Hexcel Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Hexcel stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $61.99. 687,436 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 857,396. Hexcel has a twelve month low of $58.81 and a twelve month high of $79.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.65. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.06). Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.31% and a net margin of 5.91%. The firm had revenue of $457.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $474.01 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.40 earnings per share. Hexcel’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Hexcel will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total transaction of $322,335.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 50,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,608,074.73. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total transaction of $322,335.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 50,371 shares in the company, valued at $3,608,074.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total transaction of $62,294.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 3,375 shares in the company, valued at $243,337.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.85% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Hexcel in the fourth quarter worth about $2,362,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Hexcel by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC now owns 217,202 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $16,019,000 after buying an additional 30,652 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its holdings in Hexcel by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 155,323 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $10,118,000 after buying an additional 9,242 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Hexcel during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,283,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in Hexcel by 73.5% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 66,141 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $4,308,000 after buying an additional 28,010 shares during the period. 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.