AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its stake in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,393,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 207,980 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 2.72% of AerCap worth $516,132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in AerCap during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in shares of AerCap during the 3rd quarter valued at about $66,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of AerCap in the 3rd quarter valued at about $78,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of AerCap by 1,148.5% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.42% of the company’s stock.

AerCap Stock Performance

NYSE:AER opened at $102.14 on Tuesday. AerCap Holdings has a twelve month low of $81.93 and a twelve month high of $107.36. The company has a market cap of $19.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $99.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.21.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.75. AerCap had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 32.38%. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AerCap announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management 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 paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. 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 1.06%. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.99%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Susquehanna raised their price objective on AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America lifted their price target 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. UBS Group cut shares of AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up previously from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.