Hexcel Corporation $HXL Shares Sold by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its Hexcel stake by 2.5%, selling 10,122 shares during the first quarter and retaining 393,442 shares valued at approximately $31.8 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 95.47% of HXL.
• Hexcel exceeded second-quarter expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.66 versus the $0.57 consensus and revenue of $529.3 million, up 8% year over year. Commercial aerospace sales rose 18.3%, while defense and space sales declined 7.2%; full-year 2026 EPS guidance stands at $2.30–$2.40.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and average price target of $99.18, despite recent target increases. Hexcel also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, equivalent to a 0.7% annualized yield.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its holdings in shares of Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL - Free Report) by 2.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 393,442 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 10,122 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.52% of Hexcel worth $31,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Hexcel in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hexcel in the first quarter valued at $37,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Hexcel by 181.1% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in Hexcel in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 95.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on HXL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and set a $79.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Friday, April 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Hexcel from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wolfe Research downgraded Hexcel from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Hexcel from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hexcel has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $99.18.

Hexcel Stock Performance

NYSE:HXL opened at $103.08 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.80 billion, a PE ratio of 51.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.05. The business's fifty day moving average price is $98.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 1.37. Hexcel Corporation has a 12 month low of $58.20 and a 12 month high of $111.74.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The aerospace company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $529.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $528.08 million. Hexcel had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 7.76%.Hexcel's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. Hexcel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.300-2.400 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 10th. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.18%.

Key Hexcel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hexcel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC raised its price target on Hexcel from $105 to $115 and upgraded the stock to “outperform,” implying approximately 11.6% upside from the referenced price. The move reflects confidence in the company’s aerospace recovery and earnings outlook. Benzinga analyst update
• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings exceeded expectations: adjusted EPS was $0.66, up from $0.50 a year earlier and above the roughly $0.57 consensus. Revenue rose 8% year over year to $529.3 million, slightly topping estimates, while gross margin improved to 26.1% from 22.8%. Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial Aerospace sales jumped 18.3% to $346.6 million, signaling continued recovery in aircraft production and demand for Hexcel’s lightweight composite materials. Management also raised adjusted 2026 EPS guidance to $2.30–$2.40 and sales guidance to approximately $2.025–$2.125 billion. Hexcel Q2 sales and guidance update
• Positive Sentiment: Hexcel declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, payable August 17 to shareholders of record August 10. The dividend provides modest income support and signals continued capital-return capacity.
• Neutral Sentiment: BMO also raised its price target, from $97 to $109, but retained a “market perform” rating, indicating analysts remain divided on how much of the recovery is already reflected in HXL’s valuation. BMO price target update
• Negative Sentiment: Defense, Space & Other sales declined 7.2% to $182.7 million, partly because of the divestiture of an Austrian industrial business. This offsets some of the commercial aerospace momentum and remains a consideration for investors.

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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