The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Price Target to $78.00

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) had its target price lifted by research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $69.00 to $78.00 in a report released on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 26.03% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $81.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Northcoast Research cut shares of Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Hexcel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $62.00 to $96.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.93.

Hexcel Stock Performance

HXL stock opened at $61.89 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.91, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 1.23. Hexcel has a 1 year low of $58.81 and a 1 year high of $79.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $71.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.60.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The aerospace company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $457.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $474.01 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 9.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.40 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.23 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total value of $62,294.40. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $243,337.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Thierry Merlot sold 4,500 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.63, for a total value of $322,335.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 50,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,608,074.73. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 864 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.10, for a total value of $62,294.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $243,337.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.85% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Hexcel by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 53,624 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,955,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Hexcel by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 7,294 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $498,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in Hexcel by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 4,476 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $330,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC grew its stake in Hexcel by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 9,219 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $601,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. grew its stake in Hexcel by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 10,251 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $756,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.