Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Invests $13.15 Million in Hexcel Corporation $HXL

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 131,450 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,153,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Trillium Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Hexcel in the second quarter worth $7,535,000. Madison Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hexcel in the second quarter valued at $3,270,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the 2nd quarter worth $222,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the 2nd quarter worth $1,263,000. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel during the 2nd quarter worth $953,000. 95.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of the 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 sale, the insider directly owned 7,712 shares in the company, valued at $795,415.68. This represents a 55.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.84% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hexcel Trading Down 3.7%

NYSE:HXL opened at $94.18 on Friday. Hexcel Corporation has a 52-week low of $60.26 and a 52-week high of $111.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $101.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.22. The company has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a PE ratio of 47.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.06.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The aerospace company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. Hexcel had a net margin of 7.76% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The firm had revenue of $529.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $528.08 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.400 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Announces Dividend

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

Key Hexcel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hexcel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Long-term earnings outlook improved: Zacks Research raised its FY2028 EPS estimate to $4.02 from $3.88 and lifted its FY2026 forecast to $2.34 from $2.23. Analysts also increased estimates for Q2 2027 and Q1/Q2 2028, suggesting expectations for stronger aerospace demand and earnings growth over time. Hexcel analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Overall earnings expectations remain broadly intact: Zacks projects FY2027 EPS of $2.99 and the current-year consensus remains $2.36, indicating that the revisions have not materially changed the broader earnings narrative. However, the stock’s elevated valuation—approximately 47 times earnings based on the provided background—leaves less room for disappointing updates.
• Negative Sentiment: Several near-term estimates were reduced: Zacks cut its Q4 2026 EPS forecast to $0.62 from $0.64, Q1 2027 to $0.61 from $0.62, Q3 2027 to $0.71 from $0.72, and FY2027 to $2.99 from $3.02. Q4 2027 was also lowered to $0.94 from $0.96. These reductions may signal caution about the pace of near-term recovery or execution.
• Neutral Sentiment: Aerospace-sector context: A separate report compares Woodward’s second-quarter results with other aerospace companies, including Hexcel, but the supplied headline does not provide specific Hexcel operating or earnings information. Q2 earnings highlights: Woodward versus aerospace stocks

Analyst Ratings Changes

HXL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Hexcel from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, August 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Hexcel from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Bank of America downgraded shares of Hexcel from a “peer perform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $110.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Hexcel from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.18.

Hexcel 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.