Stifel Financial Corp Reduces Holdings in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Stifel Financial Corp decreased its position in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 75,250 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,270 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp’s holdings in AerCap were worth $7,201,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in AerCap by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,601,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $545,726,000 after buying an additional 282,980 shares during the period. Lyrical Asset Management LP grew its holdings in AerCap by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP now owns 3,097,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $296,463,000 after acquiring an additional 38,264 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP grew its holdings in AerCap by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,934,185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $280,802,000 after acquiring an additional 86,548 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its holdings in AerCap by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,550,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $244,068,000 after acquiring an additional 167,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in AerCap during the 4th quarter worth $218,517,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AER has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of AerCap from $112.00 to $101.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One equities 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.14.

AerCap Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:AER opened at $103.82 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $19.39 billion, a PE ratio of 8.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.46. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $99.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $97.43. AerCap Holdings has a fifty-two week low of $82.21 and a fifty-two week high of $107.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.75. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. AerCap had a net margin of 32.38% and a return on equity of 13.98%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current year.

AerCap announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan 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 purchase up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 yield of 1.04%. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.99%.

AerCap 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.