AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 1,640,000 shares, a decrease of 25.1% from the February 13th total of 2,190,000 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,260,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.3 days.

AerCap Stock Performance

AER opened at $101.37 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $98.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.93 billion, a PE ratio of 8.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. 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 has a 12-month low of $81.93 and a 12-month high of $107.36.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that AerCap will post 11.29 EPS for the current year.

AerCap declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 26th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This is an increase from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised their price objective on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $119.00 price target on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, UBS Group downgraded shares of AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.43.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in shares of AerCap by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 14,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its position in AerCap by 29.0% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 9,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $902,000 after buying an additional 2,144 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its holdings in AerCap by 0.5% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 392,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,199,000 after buying an additional 2,143 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of AerCap by 231.3% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 36,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,431,000 after acquiring an additional 25,292 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of AerCap by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 205,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,465,000 after acquiring an additional 17,348 shares in the last quarter. 96.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AerCap Company Profile

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.