Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Upgraded to Neutral at Bank of America

Bank of America upgraded shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a research report report published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $95.00 target price on the aerospace company’s stock, up from their previous target price of $60.00.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on HXL. Truist Financial set a $94.00 price objective on Hexcel in a report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group set a $99.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Citigroup reiterated a “reduce” rating on shares of Hexcel in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $82.17.

Hexcel Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE HXL opened at $88.95 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Hexcel has a twelve month low of $45.28 and a twelve month high of $93.14. The company’s fifty day moving average is $79.54 and its 200-day moving average is $70.50. The stock has a market cap of $7.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.06.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.02. Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.54% and a net margin of 5.78%.The business had revenue of $491.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $484.46 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 9th. This is a positive change from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.17%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HXL. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 379.0% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Hexcel during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Hexcel by 325.0% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 493 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Hexcel in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. increased its position in shares of Hexcel by 469.3% during the 3rd quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 575 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Hexcel

Hexcel Corporation is a global leader in advanced composite materials for aerospace and industrial applications. The company specializes in the development and manufacture of lightweight, high-performance products that enhance fuel efficiency, durability and structural strength. Its offerings are critical to the aerospace sector, where demand for lighter, more efficient aircraft drives continuous innovation in materials.

Hexcel’s product portfolio encompasses carbon fiber reinforcements, pre-impregnated composites (prepregs), honeycomb core, engineered adhesives and structural film adhesives.