AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,950,000 shares, an increase of 23.4% from the March 31st total of 2,390,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,770,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.7 days. Currently, 1.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

AerCap Stock Performance

NYSE AER opened at $106.74 on Friday. AerCap has a 52-week low of $82.21 and a 52-week high of $108.49. The company has a fifty day moving average of $99.54 and a 200-day moving average of $97.66. The company has a market capitalization of $19.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.41. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.69 by $0.99. The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.01 billion. AerCap had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 32.38%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.29 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AerCap will post 11.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AerCap Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. AerCap’s payout ratio is 9.58%.

AerCap declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on AER. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group downgraded shares of AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of AerCap from $101.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on AerCap from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AerCap

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of AerCap during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new position in AerCap in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in AerCap by 230.1% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 307 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.42% of the company’s stock.

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.