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

AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant 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 currently 1.7 days. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of AerCap from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 target price (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on AerCap from $101.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, AerCap has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $118.00.

AerCap Price Performance

AER traded down $0.29 during trading on Thursday, reaching $107.65. 127,335 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,395,922. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $20.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.41. AerCap has a 1 year low of $82.21 and a 1 year high of $109.10. The business's 50 day moving average price is $99.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.87.

AerCap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.69 by $0.99. AerCap had a net margin of 32.38% and a return on equity of 13.98%. The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.29 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AerCap will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current year.

AerCap declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 26th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to repurchase up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

AerCap Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. AerCap's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.58%.

Institutional Trading of AerCap

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in AerCap by 95.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 91,707 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,687,000 after purchasing an additional 44,797 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in AerCap during the third quarter worth approximately $2,261,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in AerCap by 271.8% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,496 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $805,000 after acquiring an additional 6,211 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp acquired a new position in AerCap in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,141,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of AerCap by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,601,208 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $545,726,000 after purchasing an additional 282,980 shares during the period. 96.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.