Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $94.00.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on HXL. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Hexcel from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Hexcel from $95.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Hexcel from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th.

Hexcel Stock Performance

Shares of HXL opened at $102.68 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $97.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $90.20. The firm has a market cap of $7.74 billion, a PE ratio of 51.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05. Hexcel has a 12-month low of $58.20 and a 12-month high of $111.74. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The aerospace company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $529.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $528.08 million. Hexcel had a net margin of 7.76% and a return on equity of 12.19%. Hexcel’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.400 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.26 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HXL. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Hexcel in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $914,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Hexcel by 3,435.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 42,920 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,172,000 after buying an additional 41,706 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 23.0% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,289,145 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $169,168,000 after buying an additional 428,541 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,621,000. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel raised its position in Hexcel by 42.1% in the fourth quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 41,437 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $3,062,000 after acquiring an additional 12,272 shares in the last quarter. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Hexcel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hexcel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Second-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.66, exceeding the $0.57 consensus estimate and rising from $0.50 a year earlier. Revenue increased 8% year over year to $529.3 million, broadly ahead of expectations, while stronger aerospace demand and improved gross margin supported the results. Hexcel Q2 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Improve Year Over Year
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial aerospace sales climbed 18.3% to $346.6 million, and gross margin expanded to 26.1% from 22.8% a year ago, indicating operating leverage as aircraft production improves. Hexcel Q2 Sales Rise 8% to $529 Million
• Positive Sentiment: Hexcel raised its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.30–$2.40, above the roughly $2.28 analyst consensus, and said it is targeting an 18% adjusted operating margin by the end of the decade. Hexcel Raises 2026 Adjusted EPS Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: BMO raised its price target to $109 from $97, reflecting the earnings momentum, although it retained a Market Perform rating. BMO Raises Price Target on Hexcel
• Neutral Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, payable August 17 to shareholders of record August 10. The dividend provides modest income support, with an annualized yield of approximately 0.7%.
• Negative Sentiment: Although sales guidance was raised to $2.025–$2.125 billion, its midpoint remains below the approximately $2.1 billion consensus forecast, potentially tempering enthusiasm around the EPS increase.
• Negative Sentiment: At a valuation of roughly 68 times earnings and near its 12-month high, HXL leaves little room for disappointment. The elevated valuation and BMO’s unchanged neutral rating may be driving profit-taking after the results.

Hexcel Company Profile

Hexcel Corporation is a global leader in advanced composite materials for aerospace and industrial applications. The company specializes in the development and manufacture of lightweight, high-performance products that enhance fuel efficiency, durability and structural strength. Its offerings are critical to the aerospace sector, where demand for lighter, more efficient aircraft drives continuous innovation in materials.

Hexcel’s product portfolio encompasses carbon fiber reinforcements, pre-impregnated composites (prepregs), honeycomb core, engineered adhesives and structural film adhesives.