Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Sets New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Shares of Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $57.21 and last traded at $58.08, with a volume of 142998 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $58.06.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HXL has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on shares of Hexcel from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com cut shares of Hexcel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Hexcel to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Hexcel from $74.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $73.09.

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Hexcel Trading Down 1.4 %

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $64.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 2.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 34.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.30.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.52. Hexcel had a net margin of 6.94% and a return on equity of 10.66%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Hexcel Co. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This is a positive change from Hexcel's previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.77%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Hexcel by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter. Speece Thorson Capital Group Inc. now owns 244,873 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $15,140,000 after purchasing an additional 32,960 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Hexcel by 32.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 70,023 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $4,330,000 after buying an additional 17,011 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 12.3% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 581,557 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $35,957,000 after buying an additional 63,730 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 11.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 77,493 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $4,791,000 after buying an additional 8,135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kopion Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hexcel by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. Kopion Asset Management LLC now owns 97,960 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $6,142,000 after acquiring an additional 9,861 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is owned by 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.