Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for Hexcel Earnings

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Hexcel in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the aerospace company will earn $0.40 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.44. The consensus estimate for Hexcel’s current full-year earnings is $2.14 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hexcel’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.55 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.61 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.76 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.01 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $3.13 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.76 EPS.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The aerospace company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.02. Hexcel had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 9.54%. The company had revenue of $491.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $484.46 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.52 earnings per share. Hexcel’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.

HXL has been the subject of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Hexcel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 14th. UBS Group set a $99.00 price target on Hexcel in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised Hexcel from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $67.00 to $90.00 in a report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hexcel presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $82.17.

Hexcel Stock Down 0.8%

HXL opened at $87.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.06. Hexcel has a one year low of $45.28 and a one year high of $93.14. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $80.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 2.26 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position 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 valued at $6,544,000 after purchasing an additional 13,374 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 7.9% during 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 buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the 1st quarter worth about $234,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Hexcel by 14.5% in 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 acquiring an additional 34,822 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Hexcel by 138.7% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 759 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

Hexcel Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 9th were issued a $0.18 dividend. This is a boost from Hexcel’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 9th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.17%.

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.