Air Lease Corporation (NYSE:AL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Air Lease Corporation (NYSE:AL) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $59.1667.

Several analysts have weighed in on AL shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Air Lease in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $65.00 target price (down from $68.00) on shares of Air Lease in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Air Lease from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th.

Air Lease Price Performance

Shares of AL opened at $64.32 on Tuesday. Air Lease has a 52 week low of $38.25 and a 52 week high of $64.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.42. The firm has a market cap of $7.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.45, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $64.06 and a 200-day moving average of $62.03.

Air Lease (NYSE:AL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The transportation company reported $1.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.16 by $0.13. Air Lease had a return on equity of 7.84% and a net margin of 35.08%.The firm had revenue of $725.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $744.59 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Air Lease will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Air Lease Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 4th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Air Lease’s payout ratio is currently 10.20%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John L. Plueger sold 155,821 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total value of $9,977,218.63. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 725,941 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $46,482,002.23. This represents a 17.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Gregory B. Willis sold 23,481 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.83, for a total transaction of $1,498,792.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 56,408 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,600,522.64. The trade was a 29.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 760,593 shares of company stock valued at $48,668,588. 6.64% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Lease by 2,980.0% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 462 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Air Lease during the third quarter worth $29,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Air Lease during the third quarter worth $31,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Air Lease by 273.2% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 556 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Air Lease by 129.6% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 528 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.59% of the company’s stock.

Air Lease Company Profile

Air Lease Corporation (NYSE: AL) is a leading aircraft leasing company that acquires commercial jet aircraft and leases them to airlines worldwide. The firm’s core business activities include direct aircraft acquisition, lease management and portfolio remarketing. By structuring sale‐and‐leaseback transactions, operating leases and secured loans, Air Lease provides flexible financing solutions that enable carriers to modernize their fleets without committing large amounts of capital to ownership.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Los Angeles, Air Lease Corporation serves a diverse customer base spanning North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.