Short Interest in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Drops By 25.1%

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 days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AER has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 price target on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group lowered shares of AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AerCap currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.43.

AerCap Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of AER stock opened at $102.49 on Tuesday. AerCap has a 12 month low of $81.93 and a 12 month 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. The business’s 50 day moving average is $98.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $96.49. The company has a market cap of $19.14 billion, a PE ratio of 8.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.75. AerCap had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 32.38%. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Equities analysts predict that AerCap will post 11.29 EPS for the current year.

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

AerCap Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This is an increase from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.99%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AerCap

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new stake in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of AerCap in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.42% of the company’s stock.

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.