Short Interest in Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) Decreases By 14.0%

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) was the target of a large drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,994,376 shares, a drop of 14.0% from the February 26th total of 5,810,277 shares. Currently, 6.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,499,827 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Insider Activity at Hexcel

In related news, insider Amy S. Evans sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.80, for a total value of $139,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,979 shares in the company, valued at approximately $183,651.20. This represents a 43.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 2.03% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in Hexcel during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Hexcel by 181.1% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel in the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Hexcel by 42.1% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 570 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

Hexcel Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE HXL traded up $2.26 on Wednesday, reaching $83.19. The stock had a trading volume of 994,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,303,713. Hexcel has a 12-month low of $45.28 and a 12-month high of $95.22. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $85.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.01. 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 (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analysts’ expectations of $484.46 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hexcel will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on HXL shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America upgraded Hexcel from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $95.00 in a report on Thursday, February 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Hexcel from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, February 1st. Finally, KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. They set a “sector weight” rating for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hexcel currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.27.

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.