Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Hexcel guided FY 2026 EPS to $2.30–$2.40 and revenue to $2.0–$2.1 billion, broadly matching expectations but offering little upside surprise.
• Third-quarter EPS of $0.50 slightly beat estimates, while revenue rose 8.8% year over year to $496.4 million but fell short of consensus. Commercial aerospace sales grew strongly, partly offset by weaker defense, space and other revenue.
• Shares fell 1.9% to $79.76, while analysts’ average rating remained “Hold” with an average price target of $102.42. Hexcel also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, equivalent to a 0.9% yield.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.300-2.400 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.390. The company issued revenue guidance of $2.0 billion-$2.1 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.1 billion.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HXL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Hexcel from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Hexcel from $110.00 to $98.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Hexcel from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 16th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Hexcel from a "hold (c)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Guggenheim began coverage on Hexcel in a research report on Monday, September 14th. They set a "buy" rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $102.42.

Hexcel Stock Down 1.9%

NYSE HXL traded down $1.51 on Friday, hitting $79.76. The stock had a trading volume of 412,458 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,112,118. The business's fifty day moving average price is $90.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.38. The stock has a market cap of $6.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 1.10. 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 has a 52-week low of $67.38 and a 52-week high of $111.74.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The aerospace company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.01. Hexcel had a return on equity of 13.71% and a net margin of 8.50%. The business had revenue of $496.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $501.95 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hexcel will post 2.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Monday, November 2nd will be paid a $0.18 dividend. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 2nd. Hexcel's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 7,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $795,415.68. This trade 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 can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Gail Lehman sold 13,829 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.10, for a total value of $1,273,650.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,855,630.80. This represents a 40.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.84% of the company's stock.

More Hexcel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Hexcel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted earnings per share rose 35.1% year over year to $0.50, slightly exceeding consensus estimates. Sales increased 8.8% to $496.4 million, supported by a 20.5% increase in Commercial Aerospace revenue to $330.3 million. Hexcel Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Revenues Improve Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: Hexcel expects peak aircraft production to generate approximately $500 million in incremental annual sales, providing a potential long-term growth catalyst. Commercial aerospace demand remains strong across programs including the A350, 787, A320 and 737 MAX. Hexcel: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: The company increased its share-repurchase authorization to $750 million, which could support per-share results and signal confidence in long-term cash generation. Hexcel boosts buyback as aerospace drives Q3 growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Hexcel declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share, equivalent to $0.72 annually and a yield of approximately 0.9%. Hexcel quarterly earnings report
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue of $496.4 million fell short of the roughly $502 million consensus estimate. Defense, Space & Other sales also dropped 8.7%, offsetting some of the commercial aerospace strength. Hexcel slides after Q3 revenue miss and unchanged outlook
• Negative Sentiment: For fiscal 2026, Hexcel is guiding to EPS of $2.30-$2.40 and revenue of approximately $2.0-$2.1 billion, broadly in line with prior guidance but below or near Wall Street expectations. Investors had been looking for an outlook increase after the earnings beat. Accelerated hiring and training are also creating near-term cost pressure. Why Hexcel Stock Crashed After Earnings

Hexcel Company Profile

Hexcel Corporation is an advanced materials company that develops and manufactures lightweight, high-performance composite materials and structural components. Its products are designed to improve strength, durability, fuel efficiency, and performance across demanding applications.

The company's portfolio includes carbon fiber, fiberglass, specialty reinforcements, prepregs, adhesives, honeycomb materials, engineered core products, and composite structures. These materials and components are used in commercial aircraft, military and space systems, helicopters, wind turbine blades, and various industrial applications.

Hexcel serves customers worldwide through manufacturing, research, and distribution operations in North America, Europe, Asia, and other international markets.

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