AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $117.43.

Several brokerages have issued reports on AER. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group lowered AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price (up previously from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, February 27th.

AerCap Price Performance

Shares of AER opened at $102.12 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. AerCap has a fifty-two week low of $81.93 and a fifty-two week high of $107.36. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.14. The company has a market capitalization of $19.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.75. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. AerCap had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 32.38%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that AerCap will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current year.

AerCap announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. This is an increase from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AerCap

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in AerCap by 15.3% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of AerCap by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 19,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,837,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of AerCap by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its stake in AerCap by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,322 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC grew its holdings in AerCap by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 6,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $606,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. 96.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.