Short Interest in Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) Rises By 13.9%

Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,040,000 shares, a growth of 13.9% from the December 15th total of 2,670,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 839,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days. Approximately 3.8% of the company's stock are sold short.

Hexcel Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HXL traded down $0.50 on Friday, reaching $66.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,235,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 693,324. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 1.51. Hexcel has a 52-week low of $57.50 and a 52-week high of $77.09. The stock's 50-day moving average is $62.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.63, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.30.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.73% and a return on equity of 9.99%. The business had revenue of $457.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $457.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hexcel will post 2.02 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. Hexcel's payout ratio is 45.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Hexcel from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Hexcel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Vertical Research downgraded shares of Hexcel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $65.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Hexcel from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $74.00 in a report on Thursday, December 19th. 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hexcel has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $71.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HXL. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hexcel by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 21,718 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 1,197 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its stake in shares of Hexcel by 487.6% during the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 4,683 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $296,000 after purchasing an additional 3,886 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Hexcel by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 760,899 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $47,518,000 after buying an additional 9,367 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Hexcel by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,406,287 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $87,829,000 after buying an additional 103,679 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Hexcel by 155.6% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 231,300 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $14,445,000 after acquiring an additional 140,800 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.