AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One 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. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $117.43.

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Susquehanna upped their price objective on AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group cut shares of AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, February 27th.

AerCap Price Performance

AerCap stock opened at $102.12 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.07 billion, a PE ratio of 8.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. AerCap has a 12-month low of $81.93 and a 12-month high of $107.36. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $99.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.75. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. AerCap had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 32.38%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AerCap will post 11.29 EPS for the current year.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. This is a positive change from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. AerCap’s payout ratio is currently 9.99%.

AerCap declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan 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 repurchase up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AerCap

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in AerCap in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new position in shares of AerCap during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in AerCap during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in AerCap in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in AerCap in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. 96.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.