AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Short Interest Up 9.0% in December

AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,310,000 shares, a growth of 9.0% from the November 30th total of 2,120,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,060,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

AerCap Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AER opened at $95.70 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $96.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.76. AerCap has a 1 year low of $70.48 and a 1 year high of $100.81. The company has a market capitalization of $18.94 billion, a PE ratio of 7.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41. AerCap had a net margin of 32.38% and a return on equity of 13.98%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.81 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that AerCap will post 11.26 earnings per share for the current year.

AerCap Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. AerCap’s payout ratio is 7.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AerCap

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in AerCap during the third quarter valued at $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in AerCap by 35.5% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in AerCap during the third quarter valued at $64,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in AerCap during the third quarter valued at $66,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in AerCap by 15.3% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. 96.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AER. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $119.00 price objective on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of AerCap from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $112.00.

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.