As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q4. Today, we are looking at aerospace stocks, starting with Hexcel (NYSE: HXL).

Aerospace companies often possess technical expertise and have made significant capital investments to produce complex products. It is an industry where innovation is important, and lately, emissions and automation are in focus, so companies that boast advances in these areas can take market share. On the other hand, demand for aerospace products can ebb and flow with economic cycles and geopolitical tensions, which can be particularly painful for companies with high fixed costs.

The 15 aerospace stocks we track reported a strong Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.7% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 4.8% on average since the latest earnings results.

Hexcel (NYSE: HXL)

Founded shortly after World War II by a group of engineers from UC Berkley, Hexcel (NYSE: HXL) manufactures lightweight composite materials primarily for the aerospace and defense sectors.

Hexcel reported revenues of $491.3 million, up 3.7% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 2.2%. Overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates but full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

Chairman, CEO and President Tom Gentile said, “Although 2025 was another challenging year for commercial aircraft production, we began to see positive trends in the fourth quarter that suggest a stronger 2026. Earlier this past year, our commercial aerospace OEM customers delayed aircraft production rate ramps, particularly on the Airbus A350, Hexcel’s largest program, due to industry-wide supply chain disruptions leading to channel destocking that weighed on our 2025 sales and margins. Recent trends of rising commercial aircraft build rates are encouraging as are the global trends of increasing defense and space spending. We closed 2025 on a strong note with a solid fourth quarter and particularly favorable order trends in December as destocking abates, which reinforces our view that the commercial aerospace recovery is accelerating.”

Interestingly, the stock is up 4% since reporting and currently trades at $83.42.

Is now the time to buy Hexcel? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Boeing (NYSE: BA)

One of the companies that forms a duopoly in the commercial aircraft market, Boeing (NYSE: BA) develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products, and space systems.

Boeing reported revenues of $23.95 billion, up 57.1% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 6.9%. The business had an incredible quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS and EBITDA estimates.

Boeing delivered the fastest revenue growth among its peers. Although it had a fine quarter compared to its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 10.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $221.95.

Is now the time to buy Boeing? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: AerSale (NASDAQ: ASLE)

Providing a one-stop shop that integrates multiple services and product offerings, AerSale (NASDAQ: ASLE) delivers full-service support to mid-life commercial aircraft.

AerSale reported revenues of $90.94 million, down 4% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 8.8%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue and adjusted operating income estimates.

AerSale delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 8.1% since the results and currently trades at $6.73.

Read our full analysis of AerSale’s results here.

Howmet (NYSE: HWM)

Inventing the first forged aluminum truck wheel, Howmet (NYSE: HWM) specializes in lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing multi-material components used in vehicles.

Howmet reported revenues of $2.17 billion, up 14.6% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 2.3%. It was a strong quarter as it also recorded EBITDA guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

Howmet had the weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. The stock is up 11.3% since reporting and currently trades at $256.93.

Read our full, actionable report on Howmet here, it’s free.

Curtiss-Wright (NYSE: CW)

Formed from a merger of 12 companies, Curtiss-Wright (NYSE: CW) provides a range of products and services to the aerospace, industrial, electronic, and maritime industries.

Curtiss-Wright reported revenues of $947 million, up 14.9% year on year. This print beat analysts’ expectations by 6.4%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and full-year EPS guidance beating analysts’ expectations.

The stock is up 15.7% since reporting and currently trades at $734.00.

Read our full, actionable report on Curtiss-Wright here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Hidden Gem Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.