Royal Bank of Canada Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Stock

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) had its price objective upped by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $74.00 to $82.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the aerospace company’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 20.79% from the company’s previous close.

HXL has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Hexcel from $67.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Hexcel from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Hexcel from $70.00 to $68.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. TD Cowen upgraded Hexcel to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Vertical Research lowered Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.25.

Hexcel Price Performance

Shares of HXL stock traded down $2.81 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $67.89. The company had a trading volume of 1,114,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,408,488. Hexcel has a 12 month low of $57.50 and a 12 month high of $77.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.69, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $63.57 and its 200 day moving average is $62.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.76.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 22nd. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.52. Hexcel had a return on equity of 10.55% and a net margin of 6.94%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Hexcel by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,859 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Hexcel by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 14,766 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $926,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Hexcel by 21.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,181 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its position in Hexcel by 30.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 955 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Hexcel by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 43,511 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $2,728,000 after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. 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.