Element Solutions Inc vs HEXCEL CORP /DE/, two Chemicals stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Element Solutions makes chemistry for electronics and surface finishes; Hexcel makes carbon-fiber composites for aerospace. Their returns sit near each other, a 5.41% return on equity for Element against 9.3% for Hexcel, with Hexcel earning the better 6.07% net margin next to Element's 5.32%. The pricing splits them. Element trades at 73.68 times earnings and 4.05 times book, while Hexcel's earnings multiple is not meaningful here; on book it commands a rich 5.84. Both convert cash lightly, Element negative at -1.28%, Hexcel positive at 2.78%, and both carry similar leverage near 0.75 to equity. Two specialty end-markets, electronics and aerospace, both richly valued.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | ESI | HXL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39.83 | $99.19 |
| Market cap | $9.7B | $7.6B |
| Sector | Chemicals | Chemicals |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| P/E | 64.2 | — |
| P/B | 3.53 | 6.01 |
| P/S | 3.47 | 3.92 |
| EV/EBITDA | 21.8 | 27.8 |
| Revenue growth | +13.4% | +2.9% |
| Gross margin | 38.4% | 26.9% |
| Operating margin | 13.3% | 11.5% |
| Net margin | 5.3% | 6.1% |
| Return on equity | 5.4% | 9.3% |
| Return on assets | 2.6% | 4.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 5.3% | 6.7% |
| FCF yield | -1.5% | 2.7% |
| Dividend yield | 0.8% | 71.5% |
| Debt / equity | 0.75 | 0.79 |
| Current ratio | 2.68 | 2.45 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 2.48 | 5.31 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.