Aercap (NYSE:AER) Given New $155.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• AerCap reported a strong Q1 beat with adjusted EPS of $5.39 (vs. $3.59 est.) and $2.30B in revenue, and its board authorized a $1.0B share buyback (about 4.3% of shares outstanding).
• Morgan Stanley cut its price target to $155 (from $160) and maintained an "equal weight" rating on the stock.
• The company set FY‑2026 guidance at $14.50 EPS, below the street (~$15.40), which could cap valuation upside even as the consensus rating remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target near $154.88.

Aercap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) had its target price cut by investment analysts at Morgan Stanley from $160.00 to $155.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's target price would suggest a potential upside of 10.76% from the stock's current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Aercap from $159.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Aercap in a report on Thursday. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Aercap from $162.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b+)" rating on shares of Aercap in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $175.00 target price on shares of Aercap and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $154.88.

Aercap Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of Aercap stock traded up $1.84 on Thursday, hitting $139.95. The company had a trading volume of 491,689 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,309,943. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 0.99. Aercap has a twelve month low of $105.27 and a twelve month high of $154.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 0.23 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $141.32 and a 200-day moving average of $139.27.

Aercap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $5.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.59 by $1.80. The company had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.04 billion. Aercap had a net margin of 44.04% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.68 earnings per share. Aercap has set its FY 2026 guidance at 14.500-14.50 EPS. Research analysts predict that Aercap will post 15.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Aercap declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 4.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Aercap

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its position in Aercap by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 2,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $363,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital increased its position in Aercap by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,979 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the period. Argentarii LLC increased its position in Aercap by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Argentarii LLC now owns 2,793 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $402,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC increased its position in Aercap by 2.4% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,417 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $413,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC increased its position in Aercap by 3.9% during the third quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 2,246 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. 96.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Aercap News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Aercap this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — record adjusted net income of $889M (or $5.39 adj. EPS) on $2.30B revenue, topping consensus and showing strong margins and ROE. This is the primary catalyst supporting the stock lift. PR Newswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized a $1.0B share buyback (about ~4.3% of shares) — signals management believes shares may be undervalued and supports EPS/return metrics going forward. Seeking Alpha: $1B Buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/target lift — Truist raised its price target to $161 and kept a Buy rating, implying notable upside vs. recent levels and supporting investor sentiment. Benzinga: Truist PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared ($0.40/share) — modest yield (~1.1% annualized) but adds to total shareholder return. (Record/ex‑dividend dates disclosed in company notice.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Company filed its interim Q1 financial report with the SEC (unaudited condensed consolidated statements) — gives investors full disclosure and supporting documentation for the quarter. PR Newswire: Interim Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript, slide deck and detailed metrics are available for review — useful for investors wanting specifics on fleet, lease pricing, and assumptions. Seeking Alpha: Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/comparison pieces (Zacks, Yahoo) are assessing valuation vs. peers — background reading but not immediate drivers. Zacks: Peer Comparison
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance set at $14.50 EPS (company figure), below the street consensus (~$15.40) — the conservative guide subtracts from the upside implied by the quarter and could cap multiple expansion. Seeking Alpha: Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned elevated jet fuel/oil prices pose risk to airlines — while AerCap says prolonged high fuel can create lessor opportunities, the near‑term pressure on airline demand and leases is a downside risk. Reuters: Fuel Prices Comment

About Aercap

AerCap Holdings N.V. NYSE: AER is a global aircraft leasing and aviation finance company that acquires, leases, sells and manages commercial aircraft and engines. Its core services include operating leases, finance leases, sale-and-leaseback transactions, aircraft trading and remarketing, and asset management for airline customers. The company also provides related commercial and technical support services designed to optimize fleet utilization and residual values over the life cycle of aircraft and engines.

Operating with a broad global footprint, AerCap serves airlines and other aviation customers across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

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