Hexcel Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets carbon fibers, structural reinforcements, honeycomb structures, resins, and composite materials and parts for use in commercial aerospace, space and defense, and industrial applications. It operates through two segments, Composite Materials and Engineered Products. The Composite Materials segment manufactures and markets fabrics, multi-axials, specialty reinforcements, prepregs and other fiber-reinforced matrix materials, structural adhesives, molding compounds, tooling materials, polyurethane systems, and laminates that are used in military and commercial aircraft, wind turbine blades, recreational products, and other industrial applications, as well as in automotive, marine, and rail transportation. The Engineered Products segment manufactures and markets aircraft structures and finished aircraft components, including wing to body fairings, wing panels, flight deck panels, door liners, rotorcraft blades, spars, and tip caps; and aircraft structural sub-components and semi-finished components used in rotorcraft blades, engine nacelles, and aircraft surfaces, such as flaps, wings, elevators, and fairings; and RF interference control products for military and aerospace applications. This segment also provides interference control materials, structural composites, and services; dielectric absorber foams; magnetic absorbers; and thermoplastics for commercial and defense applications. The company sells its products directly through its managers, product managers, and sales personnel, as well as through independent distributors in the Americas, Europe, the Asia Pacific, India, and Africa. Hexcel Corporation was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

Hexcel Corporation демонстрирует смешанную фундаментальную картину. Мультипликаторы, такие как P/E (95.96) и P/S (3.54), значительно превышают медианные значения отрасли, что может сигнализировать о переоцененности акций. В то же время, долговая нагрузка (debt/equity 0.48) находится ниже медианы, что является положительным фактором. Однако, показатели рентабельности, такие как ROE (4.53) и ROA (2.52), также ниже медианных значений, что указывает на низкую эффективность использования капитала. Дивидендная доходность снизилась до 0.21, что может оттолкнуть инвесторов, ищущих доход. В то же время, выручка компании (456 млн долларов) значительно выше медианы, что говорит о сильных позициях на рынке. Тем не менее, снижение чистой прибыли и операционной маржи вызывает опасения. В целом, несмотря на некоторые позитивные аспекты, высокая оценка и недостаточная эффективность могут потребовать коррекции целевой цены в сторону уменьшения.

Hexcel Corporation

Hexcel Corporation HXL is a leading advanced composites manufacturer serving both commercial aerospace and defense markets. With rising global air travel, strong aircraft backlogs and increasing defense budgets worldwide, the company is well-positioned for long-term growth.
However, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock faces risks related to supply-chain disruptions and labor shortages that may weigh on its near-term performance.
HXL’s Tailwinds
Hexcel continues to benefit from the steady recovery in global air travel. Per the International Air Transport Association (IATA), revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) are expected to grow 4.9% in 2026, driven by both domestic and international travel demand. This trend is boosting Hexcel’s commercial aerospace segment, which remains a key revenue driver.
Hexcel’s advanced composite materials are critical for manufacturing lightweight, fuel-efficient aircraft, positioning it well to capitalize on sustained production demand.
On the defense side, Hexcel supplies materials for a wide range of military platforms, including the F-35, CH-53K helicopter, V-22 Osprey, UH-60 Black Hawk, Rafale and A400M. Rising global defense budgets, including the proposed increase in U.S. military spending to nearly $1.5 trillion by 2027, should further support demand for its products.
Strategic initiatives are also strengthening its growth prospects. Hexcel expanded its Americas aerospace distribution network in 2025 and signed a five-year agreement with Norway-based Kongsberg to supply advanced composite materials. These moves enhance its supply-chain efficiency and reinforce its global presence.
HXL’s Headwinds
Despite strong demand trends, persistent supply-chain challenges remain a key concern. The aerospace supply chain continues to recover slowly, leading to production delays for aircraft manufacturers. According to IATA, these disruptions are likely to persist through 2026, which may dampen near-term demand for Hexcel’s products.
Moreover, labor shortages remain a structural challenge for the aerospace-defense industry. With a significant portion of the workforce nearing retirement, companies like Hexcel may face difficulties in maintaining production efficiency and meeting delivery timelines, potentially affecting future operating results.
HXL Stock’s Price Performance
Shares of HXL have gained 41.1% in the past year compared with the industry’s 36.1% growth.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks from the same industry are Astronics ATRO, Woodward WWD and Transdigm Group TDG. Astronics and Woodward currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while Transdigm carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
ATRO delivered an average earnings surprise of 31.72% in the last four quarters. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ATRO’s 2026 earnings is pinned at $2.62 per share, which indicates year-over-year growth of 30.4%.
WWD delivered an average earnings surprise of 17.93% in the last four quarters. The consensus estimate for WWD’s fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $8.51 per share, which implies year-over-year growth of 23.5%.
TDG delivered an average earnings surprise of 2.32% in the last four quarters. The consensus estimate for TDG’s fiscal 2026 earnings stands at $39.46 per share, which suggests year-over-year growth of 5.7%.
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Hexcel Gains From Strong Aerospace Demand & Defense Exposure

Key Points
Recent market sell-offs present potential buying opportunities for patient investors.
Both companies are projected to deliver robust earnings and free cash flow growth
Advanced composites company Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) and contract logistics company GXO Logistics (NYSE: GXO) are vastly different companies, but they share a few commonalities that make them compelling buys for long-term investors. They both have excellent long-term growth drivers, trade at highly attractive valuations, and are on the cusp of a significant cyclical growth pick after a period of weak end markets.
Here's why both are excellent additions to a diversified investor's portfolio.
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A few words of warning
Given recent events, it would be remiss not to note that the key drivers of these stocks, a massive ramp-up in aircraft production (Hexcel) and a long-overdue cyclical recovery in the manufacturing sector (GXO), are at risk from a protracted conflict in the Middle East that leads to supply chain and inflationary issues.
That said, both have sold off recently, and the headline risk I write off applies across most stocks. As such, these stocks are great buys for investors relatively sanguine about the conflict and looking to buy on the dip it's created.
Hexcel is the future of the aerospace industry
Boeing and Airbus have multiyear backlogs and are both aggressively ramping up production after facing supply chain issues and material shortages in recent years. That's great news for Hexel, which provides advanced lightweight composites to both companies and their subcontractors.
Hexcel's materials offer weight and strength advantages over traditional metals, resulting in reduced fuel costs, emissions, and life cycle costs. As such, Hexcel is a play on increased aircraft production over the next decade. In addition, each generation of new aircraft tends to have more lightweight composites on board, so in theory, Hexcel could grow earnings even if aircraft unit production growth is zero.
An example of the underlying growth is the comparison between the older Boeing 777 (10% of weight in composites) and the newer Boeing 777X (30%). A Boeing 777X can generate up to $2 million in revenue for Hexcel, with an Airbus A350 generating up to $5 million.
Wall Street analysts project Hexcel's sales to grow at a double-digit annual rate through 2028, with earnings up 17.1% annually and free cash flow (FCF) at 25% annually. With Boeing and Airbus holding decade-long backlogs, Hexcel has excellent growth prospects.
Great news for GXO Logistics
The cadence of GXO Logistics growth is demonstrated in the table. The company is a leading contract logistics contractor specializing in e-commerce logistics warehousing. Demand boomed during the lockdown years as customers rushed to invest in e-commerce facilities.
Unfortunately, that growth spurt pushed spending forward, and an inevitable retraction occurred in 2023 and 2024.
GXO Logistics
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Organic revenue growth
15%
15.4%
2%
3%
3.9%
4% to 5%
It gets worse: The supply chain crisis led many companies to build up inventory, and the industrial sector has since drawn down inventory, as confirmed by the U.S. Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) and new orders data. Both surveys have indicated contraction since the end of 2023. That said, January and February data have indicated a sharp expansion, and it looks likely that the long-expected cyclical bounce is in place.
That's great news for GXO, and its guidance for mid-single-digit organic growth in 2026 supports that argument. Thinking long term, the growing use of automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) in warehousing plays to the advantages of outsourcing logistics to specialists like GXO, which know how best to use the technology.
Wall Street analysts project GXO's revenue to grow at a mid-single-digit rate through 2028, with earnings growing 10% annually and FCF at 18% annually.
Stocks to buy
Trading at 18.3 times the midpoint of management's FCF guidance for 2026, GXO is an excellent value for a company with such strong long-term growth opportunities. Hexcel is more expensive on a near-term basis (31 times analysts' estimates for FCF in 2026), but provided there isn't any slowdown in commercial aerospace, its long-term growth is assured, and the company looks likely to generate bundles of earnings and cash in the future as aircraft production ramps up.
Should you buy stock in Hexcel right now?
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Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Boeing. The Motley Fool recommends GXO Logistics and Hexcel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Top 2 Once-in-a-Decade Industrial Stock Picks for Long-Term Investors

(RTTNews) - Shares of Hexcel Corporation (HXL) are moving down about 4 percent on Friday morning trading over the appointment of James (Jamie) Coogan as Chief Financial Officer with effect from May 1.
The company's stock is currently trading at $79.16, down 4.21 percent or $3.49, over the previous close of $82.65 on the New York Stock Exchange. It has traded between $45.28 and $95.22 in the past one year.
Coogan most recently served as Chief Financial Officer at Axcelis Technologies (ACLS), a semiconductor company. Previously, he had served as CFO of Kaman Corporation.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Hexcel Corp Stock Falls 4% Over New CFO Appointment

(RTTNews) - Hexcel Corporation (HXL), an aerospace company, said on Friday that it has appointed James (Jamie) Coogan as Chief Financial Officer with effect from May 1. Coogan will succeed Mike Lenz, who has been serving as interim CFO of Hexcel.
Coogan most recently served as Chief Financial Officer at Axcelis Technologies (ACLS), a semiconductor company. Previously, he had served as CFO of Kaman Corporation.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Hexcel Corporation Appoints James Coogan As CFO

Woodward, Inc. WWD reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted net earnings per share (EPS) of $2.17, which jumped 60.7% year over year and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 31.5%.
Quarterly net sales increased 29% year over year to $996 million. The upside is fueled by market tailwinds across Aerospace and Industrial. The top line beat the consensus estimate by 10.1%.
Management highlighted that the company delivered a strong first-quarter 2026 performance that exceeded expectations, reflecting broad-based year-over-year growth across both segments, driven by strong demand and disciplined execution by our global teams. In Aerospace, margin expansion was supported by a richer mix of commercial services activity and robust defense OEM demand, while Industrial results benefited from strength in power generation, transportation and oil and gas markets.
The company’s continued focus on operational excellence is driving productivity gains and more consistent execution across the portfolio. Building on this strong start to the year, WWD raised its full-year sales and earnings guidance.
Post this announcement, the stock surged 15% in the after-market trading session yesterday. In the past year, shares have gained 78.3% compared with the Zacks Aerospace - Defense Equipment industry’s rise of 39.9%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
WWD’s Segment Results
Aerospace: Net sales were $635 million, up 29% year over year, driven by broad-based strength across commercial services, commercial OEM and defense OEM. Defense OEM and defense services sales were up 23% and 1%, respectively, year over year. Commercial OEM sales were up 22% year over year, while services jumped 50%.
Segmental earnings were $148 million, up from $95 million a year ago. The gains were fueled by effective price realization, a more favorable product mix and higher sales volumes, though partly tempered by planned investments in Aerospace manufacturing and ongoing inflationary pressures. Margins expanded 420 basis points (bps) to 23.4%.
Woodward, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Industrial: Net sales totaled $362 million, up 30% year over year, driven by gains across transportation, power generation and oil & gas markets. Core industrial sales, excluding the China on-highway impact, rose 22%.
Transportation sales rose 55%, and oil and gas sales increased 28%. Power generation grew a modest 7%, reflecting the sale of the combustion business in the prior year. Without that divestiture, power generation sales would have grown in the mid-20s on a percentage basis.
Segmental earnings were $67 million, up from $40 million in the year-ago quarter. In the core industrial segment, margins increased 410 bps to 18.5% of sales, led by strong pricing, higher volume and favorable mix, partially offset by inflationary pressures.
Other Details of WWD
Gross margin was up 480 bps year over year to 29.3%.
Total costs and expenses were $827.3 million, up 23.3% year over year.
Adjusted EBITDA was $207.8 million compared with $134.9 million a year ago.
WWD’s Cash Flow & Liquidity
As of Dec. 31, 2025, Woodward had $454.3 million in cash and cash equivalents with $457 million of long-term debt (less the current portion).
For the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025, WWD generated $114.4 million of net cash from operating activities, increasing from $34.5 million reported in the prior-year period.
Free cash flow was $70 million compared with $1 million in the year-ago period. This uptick was driven by strong aerospace commercial services and higher China on-highway revenue within its Industrial segment. Notably, the company did not see the typical seasonal decline in demand and maintained steady production levels despite fewer working days during the quarter.
Capital expenditures reached $44 million in the first quarter, up from $34 million. The company expects capital spending to rise meaningfully over the remaining three quarters, driven primarily by the Spartanburg facility build-out and other ongoing automation initiatives.
In the quarter under review, WWD returned $146 million to its shareholders in the form of $17 million of dividends and $129 million worth of share repurchases.
WWD’s Fiscal 2026 Guidance
On the back of a strong first-quarter performance, Woodward has raised its guidance for fiscal 2026. The updated outlook assumes a continued robust demand environment, supporting ongoing sales growth and additional margin expansion.
Woodward expects consolidated net sales to rise 14% to 18% compared with the previous guidance of 7% to 12%. Aerospace is projected to grow 15% to 20% compared with the earlier projection of 9% to 15%, and Industrial is anticipated to increase 11% to 14% compared with the prior expectation of 5% to 9%.
Management stated that it plans to wind down the China on-highway business by the end of fiscal 2026. Aerospace segment earnings are still expected to be 22% to 23% of segment sales. Industrial segment earnings are estimated to be 16% to 17% compared with the prior view of 14.5% to 15.5% of segment sales.
Adjusted free cash flow is still anticipated to be between $300 million and $350 million. The company continues to project free cash flow in the range of $300-$350 million.
The company raised EPS guidance to $8.2-$8.6 from the previous expectation of $7.5-$8.
WWD’s Zacks Rank
Woodward currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Recent Performance of Other Companies
Teledyne Technologies Inc. TDY reported fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings of $6.30 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $5.83 by 8.1%. The bottom line also improved 14.1% from $5.52 recorded in the year-ago quarter.
Total sales were $1.61 billion, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.57 billion by 2.7%. The top line also surged 7.3% from $1.50 billion reported in the year-ago quarter.
Textron Inc. TXT reported fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings of $1.73 per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.74 by 0.8%. However, the bottom line rose 29.1% from $1.34 in the year-ago quarter.
The company reported total revenues of $4.18 billion, which outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.14 billion by 0.8%. The top line also rose 15.7% from the year-ago quarter’s level of $3.61 billion.
Hexcel Corporation HXL reported fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings of 52 cents per share, which came in line with the year-ago quarter’s figure. However, the bottom line topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 50 cents by 4%.
The company’s net sales totaled $491.3 million in the fourth quarter, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $478 million by 2.7%. The top line also rose 3.7% from the year-ago quarter’s reported sales of $473.8 million.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Woodward's Q1 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates, Up Y/Y, Stock Rises

Hexcel (HXL) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.52 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.5 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.52 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +4.31%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this maker of lightweight composite materials would post earnings of $0.38 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.37, delivering a surprise of -2.63%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times.
Hexcel, which belongs to the Zacks Aerospace - Defense Equipment industry, posted revenues of $491.3 million for the quarter ended December 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.70%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $473.8 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Hexcel shares have added about 10.4% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 1.9%.
What's Next for Hexcel?
While Hexcel has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Hexcel was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.43 on $487.4 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $2.29 on $2.07 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Aerospace - Defense Equipment is currently in the top 22% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
Another stock from the same industry, Curtiss-Wright (CW), has yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2025. The results are expected to be released on February 11.
This engineering firm is expected to post quarterly earnings of $3.66 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +11.9%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1.7% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.
Curtiss-Wright's revenues are expected to be $890.2 million, up 8% from the year-ago quarter.
Should You Invest in Hexcel Corporation (HXL)?
Before you invest in Hexcel Corporation (HXL), want to know the best stocks to buy for the next 30 days? Check out Zacks Investment Research for our free report on the 7 best stocks to buy.
Zacks Investment Research has been committed to providing investors with tools and independent research since 1978. For more than a quarter century, the Zacks Rank stock-rating system has more than doubled the S&P 500 with an average gain of +24.08% per year. (These returns cover a period from January 1, 1988 through May 6, 2024.)
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Hexcel (HXL) Surpasses Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

(RTTNews) - Hexcel Corp. (HXL) released a profit for its fourth quarter that Increases, from last year
The company's bottom line came in at $46.4 million, or $0.60 per share. This compares with $5.8 million, or $0.07 per share, last year.
Excluding items, Hexcel Corp. reported adjusted earnings of $40.4 million or $0.52 per share for the period.
The company's revenue for the period rose 3.7% to $491.3 million from $473.8 million last year.
Hexcel Corp. earnings at a glance (GAAP) :
-Earnings: $46.4 Mln. vs. $5.8 Mln. last year. -EPS: $0.60 vs. $0.07 last year. -Revenue: $491.3 Mln vs. $473.8 Mln last year.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Hexcel Corp. Q4 Income Climbs

Key Points
FTAI and Hexcel serve different but compatible roles in the aviation sector.
FTAI benefits from aftermarket services and new AI-driven opportunities.
Hexcel’s composite materials are becoming more important for future aircraft and long-term growth.
FTAI Aviation (NASDAQ: FTAI) and Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) are two attractive stocks in the aviation sector, and while Hexcel looks like the better buy right now for long-term investors, they are actually complementary companies for a portfolio. Here's why.
FTAI Aviation growth prospects
The main difference is that FTAI focuses only on the aerospace aftermarket, while Hexcel's advanced composite materials are used in the original equipment market (OEM). Owning both stocks lets investors benefit when aircraft production is strong (Hexcel) and also when manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing face delays, causing airlines to use and service older planes more often (FTAI Aviation).
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This "dual threat" of being relevant in both the OEM and aftermarket is part of the reason GE Aerospace (NYSE: GE), the leading engine manufacturer that sells engines under long-term service agreements (LTSA), has performed so well in recent years.
FTAI is both a rival to GE Aerospace and arguably a business that benefits the aerospace giant. FTAI owns, leases, and sells aviation equipment. Its primary business is the maintenance and repair of aircraft engines, notably the CFM International (a GE Aerospace joint venture) CFM56 that powers the legacy Airbus A320 family and the Boeing 737s that will still be used by airlines for many years to come.
FTAI will service CFM's newer LEAP engines in the future, once GE Aerospace's LTSAs expire (usually after more than a decade). As such, FTAI both competes with GE Aerospace (for maintaining and servicing engines after the LTSA period expires) and supports its engine sales, as airlines know they can use FTAI to service engines in the future.
A hidden artificial intelligence (AI) stock
Recently, FTAI's stock has surged, far outpacing Hexcel's. This growth is mainly due to the launch of FTAI Power, which will convert CFM56 engines into power turbines for data centers to meet the growing demand for AI. It's an exciting business that builds on FTAI's strengths. It's not unusual -- GE Vernova, for example, makes smaller turbines based on aerospace engines, called aeroderivatives.
Why Hexcel is a great stock to buy for 2026
Hexcel's advanced composite materials are the future of the aerospace industry, and each new generation of aircraft increasingly uses relatively more of them. They offer strength and weight advantages over traditional materials like aluminum and steel, helping airlines improve productivity and meet their emissions goals.
As such, Hexcel is not only a play on the ramp in aircraft production (both Airbus and Boeing have multyear backlogs), but also on the increased use of its composites on aircraft. For example, consider that the legacy Boeing 737 has just 5% composites by weight while the 737 MAX has 15%, and each plane has a $0.2 million to $0.5 million shipset value to Hexcel.
This gives Hexcel excellent long-term growth prospects as the aerospace industry supply chain bottleneck eases and investors begin to look at companies benefiting from OEM growth (Hexcel) as well as aftermarket growth (FTAI Aviation). That's the next phase of the aerospace recovery, and Hexcel is the ideal way to play it.
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Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Boeing and GE Aerospace. The Motley Fool recommends Ge Vernova and Hexcel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

1 Stock I'd Buy Before FTAI Aviation in 2026

Key Points
Hexcel is at the start of a likely multiyear recovery.
Boeing and Airbus are aggressively addressing their mammoth backlogs, which benefits Hexcel.
The use of lightweight composites in aircraft is increasing with each new model.
It has been a challenging few years for advanced lightweight composites company Hexcel (NYSE: HXL). The company's primary end market is commercial aerospace, and the combination of lockdowns affecting the travel market, the ensuing supply chain crisis, and the slower-than-expected recovery in aircraft production at Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Airbus (OTC: EADSY) collectively hurt Hexcel's growth. However, there are real signs of a strong recovery in place now, and Hexcel stock will be a major beneficiary.
The case for buying Hexcel
Hexcel is an ideal stock to buy to play the recovery in aircraft production, because unlike most other aerospace-focused companies, it doesn't have significant aftermarket revenue. Instead, its growth depends on a combination of increased aircraft production and the increasing penetration of composites in aircraft.
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Both earnings drivers have excellent prospects. First, Boeing and Airbus continue to have multiyear backlogs in place, and they're aggressively ramping aircraft production to catch up with the more than 15,000 aircraft they need to build. Meanwhile, engine and component suppliers GE Aerospace and RTX both recently hiked their guidance on the back of improved parts availability. The supply chain crisis is easing.
Second, lightweight composites will have a larger share of content on commercial aircraft, as has been the case with each successive generation of aircraft. For example, the current Boeing 777 wide-body features a 10% composite penetration, whereas the forthcoming 777X is expected to have a 30% composite penetration.
It's a trend that will benefit Hexcel through a combination of increased aircraft production and higher shipset value on newer aircraft.
Hexcel's recovery is just starting
Management is so confident in aircraft production rates and Hexcel's position that it recently authorized $600 million in share buybacks as it returns value to shareholders. Meanwhile, Wall Street expects double-digit revenue growth and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) growth of 20% or more over the next few years.
As such, Hexcel is in the early innings of a multiyear recovery in concert with production ramps at Boeing and Airbus.
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Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends GE Aerospace, Hexcel, and RTX. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

This Aerospace Stock Is About to Take Off

Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 11/3/25, Hexcel Corp. (Symbol: HXL), Core Laboratories Inc (Symbol: CLB), and ONEOK Inc (Symbol: OKE) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Hexcel Corp. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.17 on 11/10/25, Core Laboratories Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.01 on 11/24/25, and ONEOK Inc will pay its quarterly dividend of $1.03 on 11/14/25. As a percentage of HXL's recent stock price of $73.02, this dividend works out to approximately 0.23%, so look for shares of Hexcel Corp. to trade 0.23% lower — all else being equal — when HXL shares open for trading on 11/3/25. Similarly, investors should look for CLB to open 0.06% lower in price and for OKE to open 1.53% lower, all else being equal.
Below are dividend history charts for HXL, CLB, and OKE, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared.
Hexcel Corp. (Symbol: HXL):
Core Laboratories Inc (Symbol: CLB):
ONEOK Inc (Symbol: OKE):
In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 0.93% for Hexcel Corp., 0.25% for Core Laboratories Inc, and 6.13% for ONEOK Inc.
In Thursday trading, Hexcel Corp. shares are currently up about 0.5%, Core Laboratories Inc shares are off about 2.2%, and ONEOK Inc shares are off about 2.8% on the day.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.