AerCap (NYSE:AER) Reaches New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $116.04 and last traded at $114.86, with a volume of 105899 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.81.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AER has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group downgraded AerCap to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of AerCap from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of AerCap from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of AerCap from $101.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, AerCap presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.25.

AerCap Stock Performance

The firm's 50 day moving average is $104.59 and its 200-day moving average is $100.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.18, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67.

AerCap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.29 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AerCap Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. AerCap's payout ratio is 9.58%.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC raised its position in AerCap by 95.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 91,707 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,687,000 after acquiring an additional 44,797 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of AerCap by 51.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,388 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $131,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. abrdn plc raised its position in shares of AerCap by 124.0% during the 4th quarter. abrdn plc now owns 162,274 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,647,000 after purchasing an additional 89,831 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its stake in AerCap by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,550,350 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $244,068,000 after buying an additional 167,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its stake in AerCap by 20.2% in the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 14,230 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,362,000 after buying an additional 2,394 shares in the last quarter. 96.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.