Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Should You Buy?

Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 1,020,597 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 16% from the previous session's volume of 877,757 shares.The stock last traded at $67.04 and had previously closed at $66.82.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Vertical Research cut shares of Hexcel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $65.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Hexcel from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on 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 raised shares of Hexcel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Hexcel from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $68.00 to $74.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given 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 $71.33.

Hexcel Stock Down 0.7 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $62.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $62.57.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $457.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $457.07 million. Hexcel had a return on equity of 9.99% and a net margin of 5.73%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.38 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hexcel Co. will post 2.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Hexcel in the third quarter worth $56,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Hexcel by 53.8% in the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 932 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 30.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 955 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Hexcel during the 3rd quarter worth about $62,000. 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.