Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Upgraded at Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on HXL. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Hexcel from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $67.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Hexcel from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hexcel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Hexcel from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $60.00 to $95.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hexcel currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $87.27.

Hexcel Stock Performance

NYSE HXL opened at $79.24 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 2.26. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $85.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.05. Hexcel has a fifty-two week low of $45.28 and a fifty-two week high of $95.22.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $484.46 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.52 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Hexcel will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were given a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 9th. This is an increase from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hexcel news, insider Amy S. Evans sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.80, for a total transaction of $139,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $183,651.20. This trade represents a 43.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hexcel in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its stake in Hexcel by 469.3% during the third quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 575 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Prosperity Bancshares Inc acquired a new position in Hexcel during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Hexcel by 181.1% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hexcel by 8,671.4% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 614 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hexcel Company Profile

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.