Madison Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in Hexcel Corporation $HXL

Madison Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 32,683 shares of the aerospace company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,270,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in HXL. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hexcel during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Prosperity Bancshares Inc purchased a new position in Hexcel in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hexcel in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Hexcel by 181.1% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new stake in Hexcel during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.47% of the company’s stock.

Key Hexcel News

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

Hexcel Trading Down 3.7%

Shares of HXL stock opened at $94.18 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $101.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.22. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.33, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.06. Hexcel Corporation has a twelve month low of $60.26 and a twelve month high of $111.74.

Hexcel (NYSE:HXL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The aerospace company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.09. Hexcel had a net margin of 7.76% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The firm had revenue of $529.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $528.08 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.50 earnings per share. Hexcel’s 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hexcel Corporation will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Hexcel Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Hexcel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on HXL shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Hexcel from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Hexcel from $113.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $95.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Hexcel from $85.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Hexcel from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.18.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Gina Fitzsimons sold 9,675 shares of Hexcel stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.14, for a total transaction of $997,879.50. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $795,415.68. The trade was a 55.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.84% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.