Short Interest in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Increases By 37.8%

AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,260,000 shares, an increase of 37.8% from the February 28th total of 1,640,000 shares. Currently, 1.1% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,340,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

AerCap Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE AER traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $102.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,507,984 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,337,708. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. AerCap has a 1-year low of $81.93 and a 1-year high of $107.36. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $99.86 and its 200-day moving average is $97.27. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.75. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during 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%. On average, analysts expect that AerCap will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This is a positive change from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.99%.

AerCap declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in AerCap by 0.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 230,945 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $21,875,000 after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AerCap by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,737,476 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $164,574,000 after buying an additional 22,346 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in AerCap in the 3rd quarter valued at about $66,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in AerCap by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 167,701 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,885,000 after buying an additional 13,427 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Counselors Inc. raised its holdings in AerCap by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 5,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the period. 96.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group lowered AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.43.

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.