AAR Corp. (NYSE:AIR) Short Interest Update

AAR Corp. (NYSE:AIR) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 792,200 shares, an increase of 28.3% from the December 15th total of 617,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 264,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 2.3% of the company’s shares are sold short.

AAR Stock Down 0.5 %

NYSE:AIR traded down $0.36 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $70.25. 165,600 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 262,787. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.45. AAR has a twelve month low of $54.71 and a twelve month high of $76.34. The stock has a market cap of $2.52 billion, a PE ratio of 250.91 and a beta of 1.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $65.77 and a 200 day moving average of $65.22.

AAR (NYSE:AIR) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 7th. The aerospace company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.07. AAR had a net margin of 0.41% and a return on equity of 10.46%. The business had revenue of $686.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $654.47 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.81 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that AAR will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at AAR

In other news, SVP Christopher A. Jessup sold 33,481 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.40, for a total value of $2,357,062.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 63,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,449,913.60. The trade was a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Jessica A. Garascia sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.90, for a total transaction of $100,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 37,565 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,513,098.50. This represents a 3.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 180,793 shares of company stock worth $12,184,346. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AAR

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. National Bank of Canada FI bought a new position in shares of AAR in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in AAR in the second quarter valued at $33,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of AAR by 43.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 778 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of AAR by 32.9% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,324 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the last quarter. Finally, L & S Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of AAR during the 2nd quarter worth about $218,000. Institutional investors own 90.74% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AIR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp initiated coverage on AAR in a research report on Thursday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $83.00 price objective for the company. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $83.00 price target on shares of AAR in a report on Friday, October 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on shares of AAR in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of AAR from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.50.

About AAR

AAR Corp. provides products and services to commercial aviation, government, and defense markets worldwide. The Parts Supply segment leases and sells aircraft components and replacement parts. The Repair & Engineering segment provides airframe maintenance services, such as airframe inspection, painting, line maintenance, airframe modification, structural repair, avionics service and installation, exterior and interior refurbishment, and engineering and support services; component repair services comprising maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, engine and airframe accessories, and interior refurbishment; and landing gear overhaul services, including repair services on wheels and brakes.