National Pension Service Sells 1,825 Shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

National Pension Service trimmed its holdings in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) by 0.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 558,021 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,825 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in AerCap were worth $53,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AER. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 5.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,601,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $545,726,000 after purchasing an additional 282,980 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 8.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,862,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $460,579,000 after purchasing an additional 370,906 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,550,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $244,068,000 after purchasing an additional 167,830 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 1.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,737,476 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $164,574,000 after purchasing an additional 22,346 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soros Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 2.1% in the third quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC now owns 1,589,896 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $150,595,000 after purchasing an additional 32,911 shares during the last quarter. 96.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AerCap Price Performance

AER stock opened at $102.79 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $97.20 and a 200-day moving average of $95.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. AerCap Holdings has a 12 month low of $76.14 and a 12 month high of $107.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.81.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.75. AerCap had a net margin of 32.38% and a return on equity of 13.98%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AerCap declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This is an increase from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up previously from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 target price on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $116.17.

About AerCap

AerCap Holdings N.V. engages in the lease, financing, sale, and management of commercial flight equipment in China, Hong Kong, Macau, the United States, Ireland, and internationally. The company offers aircraft asset management services, such as remarketing aircraft and engines; collecting rental and maintenance rent payments, monitoring aircraft maintenance, monitoring and enforcing contract compliance, and accepting delivery and redelivery of aircraft and engines; and conducting ongoing lessee financial performance reviews.