Morgan Stanley Upgrades Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) to “Equal Weight”

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has a $90.00 target price on the aerospace company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $67.00. Morgan Stanley’s target price points to a potential upside of 8.58% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on HXL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Hexcel in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of Hexcel in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Hexcel from $67.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Hexcel from $75.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Hexcel from $67.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $80.10.

Hexcel Price Performance

NYSE HXL opened at $82.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.07, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.08. Hexcel has a 52 week low of $45.28 and a 52 week high of $88.00. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $77.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.05.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hexcel

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HXL. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in Hexcel in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Hexcel by 379.0% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 479 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in Hexcel by 325.0% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 493 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hexcel in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

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.