AerCap (NYSE:AER) Reaches New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $112.00 and last traded at $111.20, with a volume of 547991 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $109.57.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of AerCap from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of AerCap from $101.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded shares of AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.00.

AerCap Trading Up 1.6%

The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $100.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $98.08. 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 stock has a market cap of $20.80 billion, a PE ratio of 8.82, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.41.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.69 by $0.99. AerCap had a net margin of 32.38% and a return on equity of 13.98%. The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.29 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 EPS for the current year.

AerCap Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.58%.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AerCap

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. 59 North Capital Management LP raised its position in AerCap by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP now owns 3,704,914 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $354,560,000 after acquiring an additional 538,703 shares during the period. Lyrical Asset Management LP raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $296,463,000 after purchasing an additional 38,264 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its position in shares of AerCap by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,934,185 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $280,802,000 after purchasing an additional 86,548 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of AerCap by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,608,099 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $249,595,000 after purchasing an additional 485,999 shares during the period. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd increased its holdings in AerCap by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,550,350 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $244,068,000 after acquiring an additional 167,830 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.42% of the company’s stock.

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.