Insider Buying: Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) CEO Buys $993,750.00 in Stock

Hexcel Co. (NYSE:HXL) CEO Tom Gentile bought 15,000 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $66.25 per share, with a total value of $993,750.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 15,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $993,750. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Hexcel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HXL opened at $68.16 on Friday. Hexcel Co. has a 12 month low of $58.81 and a 12 month high of $79.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.25. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The aerospace company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.52% and a return on equity of 8.97%. The business had revenue of $472.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $468.93 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hexcel Co. will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 3rd. Northcoast Research cut shares of Hexcel from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Hexcel from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Hexcel from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $66.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.57.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HXL. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Hexcel by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 20,416 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $1,487,000 after buying an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the first quarter worth approximately $621,000. RiverPark Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Hexcel by 317.3% in the first quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC now owns 4,498 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 3,420 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Hexcel during the first quarter worth approximately $430,000. Finally, Centerpoint Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hexcel by 44.6% during the first quarter. Centerpoint Advisors LLC now owns 723 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. 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.