Hexcel Beats Up on Analysts Yet Again

Seth Jayson, The Motley Fool
Updated

Hexcel (NYS: HXL) reported earnings on Jan. 25. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Hexcel beat expectations on revenue and crushed expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue increased significantly, and earnings per share grew significantly.

Margins increased across the board.

Revenue details
Hexcel booked revenue of $351.8 million. The 12 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ predicted revenue of $332.0 million. Sales were 14% higher than the prior-year quarter's $294.5 million.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.34. The 12 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ forecast $0.27 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.39 for Q3 were 78% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.22 per share.

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Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Figures may be non-GAAP to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 24.1%, 240 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 13.9%, 390 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 11.1%, 370 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $360.4 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.30.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.40 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.22.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 258 members out of 274 rating the stock outperform, and 16 members rating it underperform. Among 76 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 74 give Hexcel a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Hexcel is outperform, with an average price target of $28.43.

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At the time thisarticle was published Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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