Bruce & Co. Inc. Boosts Position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Bruce & Co. Inc. raised its stake in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) by 87.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 150,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 70,000 shares during the quarter. AerCap accounts for 4.6% of Bruce & Co. Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Bruce & Co. Inc. owned 0.08% of AerCap worth $14,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AER. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of AerCap by 59.3% in the third quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 17,875 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,686,000 after buying an additional 6,654 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of AerCap by 66.8% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 279,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,503,000 after acquiring an additional 112,084 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of AerCap by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 446,303 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,711,000 after acquiring an additional 4,222 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of AerCap by 5.3% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,601,208 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $545,726,000 after purchasing an additional 282,980 shares during the period. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd grew its stake in shares of AerCap by 145.5% in the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 21,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,011,000 after purchasing an additional 12,584 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.42% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on AER shares. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Susquehanna raised their price target on AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group lowered shares of AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $119.00 target price on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AerCap has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.43.

AerCap Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:AER opened at $104.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $98.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $96.64. The company has a market capitalization of $19.54 billion, a PE ratio of 8.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. AerCap Holdings has a 1-year low of $81.93 and a 1-year high of $107.36.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

AerCap Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. This is an increase from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. AerCap’s payout ratio is 9.99%.

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.