2,941 Shares in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Acquired by Bank of Nova Scotia

Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new stake in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,941 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Shelton Capital Management boosted its position in shares of AerCap by 170.1% in the 4th quarter. Shelton Capital Management now owns 6,309 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 3,973 shares during the last quarter. Aristides Capital LLC lifted its stake in AerCap by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 33,630 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,218,000 after buying an additional 3,630 shares during the period. Lyrical Asset Management LP boosted its holdings in AerCap by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP now owns 3,097,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $296,463,000 after buying an additional 38,264 shares during the last quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new position in shares of AerCap during the 4th quarter worth about $6,221,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of AerCap by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,032,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $98,788,000 after acquiring an additional 124,539 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.42% of the company’s stock.

AerCap Stock Performance

Shares of AER opened at $96.76 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.67, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.46. AerCap Holdings has a 12 month low of $81.93 and a 12 month high of $107.36. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $99.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

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, beating 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 company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. Research analysts forecast that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AerCap declared 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 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are 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 paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.12%. This is a boost from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on AER shares. UBS Group cut shares of AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on AerCap from $112.00 to $101.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays restated 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. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AerCap has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.14.

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.