AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Position Cut by Castle Hook Partners LP

Castle Hook Partners LP lowered its position in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Free Report) by 43.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 682,725 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 522,720 shares during the quarter. AerCap accounts for about 0.8% of Castle Hook Partners LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Castle Hook Partners LP owned approximately 0.34% of AerCap worth $65,337,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. 59 North Capital Management LP grew its holdings in AerCap by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP now owns 3,704,914 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $354,560,000 after buying an additional 538,703 shares in the last quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP lifted its stake in AerCap by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP now owns 3,097,840 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $296,463,000 after purchasing an additional 38,264 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its holdings in shares of AerCap by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,934,185 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $280,802,000 after purchasing an additional 86,548 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its position in shares of AerCap by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,550,350 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $244,068,000 after purchasing an additional 167,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter worth about $218,517,000. 96.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on AER. UBS Group cut AerCap to an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Susquehanna increased their target price on AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of AerCap from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on AerCap from $101.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, AerCap has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $118.00.

AerCap Stock Performance

NYSE AER traded up $1.04 on Friday, hitting $109.48. 1,865,429 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,389,755. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.45 billion, a PE ratio of 8.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.41. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $100.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.06. AerCap Holdings has a 1-year low of $82.21 and a 1-year high of $109.59.

AerCap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last released 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. The company had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.01 billion. AerCap had a net margin of 32.38% and a return on equity of 13.98%. AerCap's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.29 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 EPS for the current year.

AerCap Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. AerCap's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.58%.

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

AerCap Company Profile

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.