Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Stock Gets Price Target Trim from Morgan Stanley

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) had its target price trimmed by Morgan Stanley from $110.00 to $97.00 in a research report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on HXL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Hexcel from $110.00 to $98.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Hexcel from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on Hexcel from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Hexcel from $120.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hexcel has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.25.

Hexcel Stock Performance

Shares of HXL opened at $89.95 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $90.55 and a 200-day moving average of $93.37. The company has a market cap of $6.80 billion, a PE ratio of 45.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.10. Hexcel has a one year low of $63.21 and a one year high of $111.74.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. Hexcel had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 7.76%. The business had revenue of $496.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $501.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.37 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 10th. Hexcel’s payout ratio is currently 36.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Gail E. Lehman sold 13,829 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $1,273,650.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,148 shares in the company, valued at $1,855,630.80. This trade represents a 40.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total value of $997,879.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 7,712 shares in the company, valued at $795,415.68. This represents a 55.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.84% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hexcel

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Hexcel during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Hexcel by 566.0% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 353 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Group One Trading LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the second quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hexcel during the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Hexcel

Here are the key news stories impacting Hexcel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS was $0.50, ahead of the $0.48–$0.49 analyst consensus and up from $0.37 a year earlier. Net income increased to $38.6 million, while operating income rose to $54.8 million. Hexcel Tops Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial Aerospace remained the primary growth driver, with sales up 20.5% to $330.3 million. Total revenue rose 8.8% year over year, and Hexcel increased its share-repurchase authorization to $750 million. Hexcel Boosts Buyback as Aerospace Drives Q3 Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Hexcel reaffirmed 2026 guidance for sales of $2.025 billion to $2.125 billion and adjusted diluted EPS of $2.30 to $2.40. While maintaining the outlook provides stability, investors may have expected an upgrade following the aerospace-sector growth. Hexcel Q3 Sales Rise 8.8 Percent
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue of $496.4 million missed the roughly $502 million consensus estimate. Defense, Space & Other sales fell 8.7% to $166.1 million, partially offsetting commercial aerospace strength. Reports characterized the outlook as weak, driving the negative reaction despite the EPS beat. Hexcel Falls on Revenue Miss and Weak Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reportedly cut its price target for Hexcel (HXL), adding pressure to investor sentiment after the earnings release. Hexcel Stock Price Target Cut by Morgan Stanley

About Hexcel

Hexcel Corporation is an advanced materials company that develops and manufactures lightweight, high-performance composite materials and structural components. Its products are designed to improve strength, durability, fuel efficiency, and performance across demanding applications.

The company’s portfolio includes carbon fiber, fiberglass, specialty reinforcements, prepregs, adhesives, honeycomb materials, engineered core products, and composite structures. These materials and components are used in commercial aircraft, military and space systems, helicopters, wind turbine blades, and various industrial applications.

Hexcel serves customers worldwide through manufacturing, research, and distribution operations in North America, Europe, Asia, and other international markets.