Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Stock Rating Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning,Wall Street Zen reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on HXL. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Hexcel from $123.00 to $117.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Hexcel from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hexcel from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Hexcel from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $92.00 price target on Hexcel in a research report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $101.67.

Hexcel Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of HXL stock opened at $79.45 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $89.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $93.28. Hexcel has a 52 week low of $67.38 and a 52 week high of $111.74. The stock has a market cap of $6.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.63, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. Hexcel had a return on equity of 13.57% and a net margin of 8.50%. The firm had revenue of $496.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $501.95 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.37 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Hexcel will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 2nd. Hexcel’s payout ratio is presently 32.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hexcel

In other Hexcel news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total transaction of $997,879.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,712 shares in the company, valued at $795,415.68. The trade was a 55.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Gail Lehman sold 13,829 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total transaction of $1,273,650.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 20,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,855,630.80. This represents a 40.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.84% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hexcel

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HXL. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Hexcel by 2.3% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,340 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $432,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division lifted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,803 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $180,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 3,598 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 16.3% during the 1st quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 1,035 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Hexcel by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Krilogy Financial LLC now owns 5,887 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $500,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. 95.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Hexcel

Here are the key news stories impacting Hexcel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted earnings were $0.50 per share, ahead of estimates, while net sales increased 8.8% year over year to $496.4 million. Commercial aerospace sales rose approximately 21%, supported by strong demand for the A350, 787, A320 and 737 MAX programs. Hexcel Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Improve Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects peak aircraft production to generate approximately $500 million in incremental annual sales, offering a potentially significant long-term growth opportunity. Hexcel: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada lowered its price target from $105 to $100 but maintained an “outperform” rating, implying substantial upside based on the referenced share price. Royal Bank of Canada recommendations
• Neutral Sentiment: Hexcel declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, equivalent to $0.72 annually and a yield of roughly 0.9%. Hexcel Reports 2026 Third Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue of $496.4 million missed consensus estimates near $502 million. Although earnings exceeded expectations, investors were disappointed that full-year guidance was reaffirmed rather than raised.
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 revenue guidance of $2.025 billion-$2.125 billion is around or below the $2.1 billion consensus midpoint, while adjusted EPS guidance of $2.30-$2.40 is broadly in line with expectations. Defense, Space & Other sales declined about 9%, and accelerated hiring and training are creating near-term cost pressure. Hexcel slides after Q3 revenue miss and unchanged outlook

Hexcel Company Profile

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.