PDT Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 18,211 AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

PDT Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 18,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,743,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in shares of AerCap by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 19,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,837,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in AerCap by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AerCap by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 6,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Williamson Legacy Group LLC increased its holdings in AerCap by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC now owns 10,674 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,022,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.42% of the company’s stock.

AerCap Price Performance

AerCap stock opened at $105.63 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $99.26 and its 200 day moving average is $97.49. AerCap Holdings has a one year low of $82.21 and a one year high of $107.36. The firm has a market cap of $19.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.75. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion for 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 EPS for the current year.

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

AerCap Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is a boost from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. AerCap’s payout ratio is presently 9.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AER shares. UBS Group downgraded AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Susquehanna raised 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. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on AerCap from $112.00 to $101.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.14.

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.