Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Trading Down 5.1% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) were down 5.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $72.65 and last traded at $72.51. Approximately 1,226,619 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 8% from the average daily volume of 1,138,923 shares. The stock had previously closed at $76.42.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “reduce” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Hexcel from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Hexcel from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.33.

Hexcel Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $5.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $69.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 2.75 and a quick ratio of 1.50.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.01). Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.25% and a net margin of 3.67%.The firm had revenue of $456.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $449.99 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Hexcel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.700-1.800 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Monday, November 3rd were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 3rd. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is 80.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Lyndon John Smith sold 2,077 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.02, for a total transaction of $151,662.54. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 8,426 shares in the company, valued at $615,266.52. The trade was a 19.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Patrick Winterlich sold 3,413 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total value of $250,309.42. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 40,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,959,782.38. This trade represents a 7.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.39% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Hexcel by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,863 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 867 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Hexcel by 41.3% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 52,707 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,886,000 after purchasing an additional 15,407 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 214.3% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 359,067 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $19,663,000 after purchasing an additional 244,828 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the first quarter valued at approximately $325,000. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the first quarter valued at approximately $13,929,000. Institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.