Sciencast Management LP Sells 11,815 Shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Sciencast Management LP cut its holdings in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) by 76.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,632 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 11,815 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP’s holdings in AerCap were worth $348,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AER. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 15.3% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 814 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 19,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,837,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,322 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $509,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 6,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $606,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares during the period. 96.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

AerCap Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AER opened at $102.13 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $98.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.70. AerCap Holdings has a 12-month low of $81.93 and a 12-month high of $107.36. The firm has a market cap of $19.08 billion, a PE ratio of 8.09, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current 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, 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 firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. Equities research analysts predict that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current year.

AerCap announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This is a positive change from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.