Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) Director Catherine A. Suever Buys 400 Shares

Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) Director Catherine A. Suever purchased 400 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $68.33 per share, with a total value of $27,332.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 15,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,076,060.84. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Hexcel Price Performance

NYSE:HXL opened at $72.65 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $69.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.52. The firm has a market cap of $6.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.09, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.25. Hexcel Co. has a one year low of $58.81 and a one year high of $79.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.74.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.44. Hexcel had a return on equity of 8.97% and a net margin of 5.52%. The firm had revenue of $472.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $468.93 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.50 earnings per share. Hexcel’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Hexcel Co. will post 2.22 EPS for the current 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 given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HXL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective (down previously from $75.00) on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley cut Hexcel from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $66.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $71.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Hexcel from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $77.57.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CENTRAL TRUST Co boosted its position in Hexcel by 68.1% during the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 442 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. RiverPark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Hexcel during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. 95.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.