Russell Investments Group Ltd. Grows Stock Position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,032,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 124,539 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in AerCap were worth $98,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new stake in AerCap in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new position in AerCap in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $78,000. Institutional investors own 96.42% of the company’s stock.

AerCap Stock Performance

NYSE:AER opened at $89.51 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $16.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.09, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.45. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $100.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.31. AerCap Holdings has a twelve month low of $81.93 and a twelve month high of $107.36.

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

AerCap announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan 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 reacquire up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This is an increase from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. AerCap’s payout ratio is currently 9.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.