Bank of Nova Scotia Takes $281,000 Position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new stake in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,941 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in AerCap in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of AerCap during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AerCap by 1,148.5% during the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $121,000 after buying an additional 1,160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 51.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,388 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $131,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.42% of the company's stock.

AerCap Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of AER traded down $1.76 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $95.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 78,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,392,586. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.59, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.46. The company's 50-day moving average is $99.40 and its 200-day moving average is $97.19. 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 Holdings has a 52-week low of $82.21 and a 52-week high of $107.36.

AerCap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This is a positive change from AerCap's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. AerCap's payout ratio is 9.99%.

AerCap announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on AER shares. Bank of America upped their price objective on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group cut shares of AerCap to an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of AerCap from $112.00 to $101.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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.