Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Upgraded at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report report published on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $90.00 price target on the aerospace company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $67.00.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Hexcel from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hexcel in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Hexcel from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Hexcel from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “reduce” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hexcel has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $80.10.

Hexcel Stock Down 2.0%

HXL stock opened at $82.89 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a PE ratio of 60.07, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.06. Hexcel has a one year low of $45.28 and a one year high of $88.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $77.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 2.26.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.02. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 9.54%. The business had revenue of $491.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $484.46 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.100-2.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hexcel will post 2.14 EPS for the current year.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 9th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This is a boost from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 9th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio is 49.28%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 12.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 119,501 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $6,544,000 after purchasing an additional 13,374 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Hexcel by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,360 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the 1st quarter valued at about $234,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Hexcel by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 274,522 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $15,033,000 after buying an additional 34,822 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Hexcel by 138.7% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 759 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 441 shares during the period. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hexcel News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Hexcel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Hexcel reported $0.52 EPS and revenue above estimates, with rising aerospace sales and improved operating income, which underpins near-term earnings momentum. Zacks: Hexcel’s Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike — Management lifted the quarterly dividend ~5.9% to $0.18/share (annualized yield ~0.9%), a shareholder-friendly move that often supports sentiment for industrial/aerospace names. MSN: Hexcel raises quarterly dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Morgan Stanley moved HXL from Underweight to Equal Weight and raised its price target to $90 (from $67), signaling improved conviction in the recovery case and providing upside from current levels. The Fly: HXL upgraded at Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Commercial aerospace recovery & cost discipline — Management and analysts point to improving commercial aerospace demand and better cost control as drivers for durable margin recovery; these factors support medium-term guidance execution but are already partly priced in. Yahoo: HXL Q4 Deep Dive
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call detail available — Full transcript and highlights show management commentary supporting the beat, useful for investors modeling revenue cadence and margin drivers. Seeking Alpha: Q4 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance slightly cautious — FY2026 EPS guidance of $2.10–$2.30 and revenue guidance near $2.0–$2.1B sit around or a touch below consensus (consensus ~2.28 EPS, revenue ~$2.1B), which can temper upside despite the quarter’s beat. Yahoo: Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights

About Hexcel

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.