14,218,892 Shares in Hexcel Corporation $HXL Bought by BlackRock Inc.

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 14.2 million Hexcel shares worth approximately $1.42 billion, giving it an 18.8% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 95.47% of HXL.
• Hexcel’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.66 versus a $0.57 consensus and revenue up 8% year over year to $529.3 million. The company maintained FY2026 EPS guidance of $2.30–$2.40 and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.18.
• Despite a stronger long-term earnings outlook, some near-term estimates were reduced and analysts’ overall consensus remains “Hold,” with an average price target of $107.18. Shares recently opened at $94.18, while an insider also sold nearly $1 million in stock.

BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 14,218,892 shares of the aerospace company's stock, valued at approximately $1,422,742,000. BlackRock Inc. owned about 18.80% of Hexcel at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HXL. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Hexcel by 1,918.9% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,178,259 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $123,050,000 after buying an additional 2,070,366 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in Hexcel in the 3rd quarter worth $123,233,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Hexcel by 18.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,104,121 shares of the aerospace company's stock worth $377,196,000 after purchasing an additional 790,320 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in shares of Hexcel by 87.5% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,335,002 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $98,657,000 after buying an additional 623,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of Hexcel by 122.3% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 955,995 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $59,941,000 after buying an additional 525,900 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 95.47% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Hexcel

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

Insider Transactions at Hexcel

In other Hexcel news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total value of $997,879.50. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.84% of the company's stock.

Hexcel Stock Down 3.7%

Shares of 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 2.43. The company has a market capitalization of $7.12 billion, a PE ratio of 47.33, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $101.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $92.22.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The aerospace company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $529.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $528.08 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.50 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.400 EPS. Analysts forecast that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were paid a $0.18 dividend. 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 presently 36.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HXL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research lowered Hexcel from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Hexcel from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Hexcel in a report on Sunday, August 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Hexcel from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Five equities research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $107.18.

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.

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