Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Stake in AAR Corp. (NYSE:AIR)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in AAR Corp. by 57.4% during the first quarter, owning 23,591 shares worth approximately $1.32 million.
• AAR Corp. reported Q1 earnings of $1.16 per share, exceeding analysts’ expectations, with revenues reaching $754.5 million, a 15% increase year-over-year.
• Analysts are optimistic about AAR Corp., with multiple firms raising their price targets, indicating a consensus average price target of $83.75 for the stock.

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in AAR Corp. (NYSE:AIR - Free Report) by 57.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,591 shares of the aerospace company's stock after buying an additional 8,601 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of AAR worth $1,321,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lifted its holdings in AAR by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 1,441,154 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $88,314,000 after acquiring an additional 115,476 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in AAR by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,070,618 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $65,607,000 after acquiring an additional 127,148 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in AAR by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 799,766 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $49,020,000 after acquiring an additional 2,804 shares during the period. Emerald Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in AAR by 4.2% in the first quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 510,814 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $28,600,000 after acquiring an additional 20,654 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in AAR by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 480,338 shares of the aerospace company's stock valued at $29,436,000 after acquiring an additional 15,318 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.74% of the company's stock.

AAR Price Performance

NYSE AIR traded down $1.83 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $76.85. The stock had a trading volume of 83,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 312,118. The firm's 50 day moving average is $72.53 and its 200 day moving average is $65.14. AAR Corp. has a twelve month low of $46.51 and a twelve month high of $86.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 2.72 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 232.91 and a beta of 1.53.

AAR (NYSE:AIR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 16th. The aerospace company reported $1.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.16. AAR had a return on equity of 11.66% and a net margin of 0.45%. The firm had revenue of $754.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $695.81 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.88 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that AAR Corp. will post 3.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AIR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded AAR from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on AAR from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Truist Financial upped their target price on AAR from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on AAR from $80.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $83.75.

Insider Transactions at AAR

In related news, Director Jennifer L. Vogel sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $546,490.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,970 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,793,267.90. This represents a 23.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John Mcclain Holmes III sold 31,551 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.03, for a total value of $2,461,924.53. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 360,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,162,665.63. This represents a 8.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 95,182 shares of company stock valued at $7,331,452 in the last 90 days. 3.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

AAR Profile

AAR Corp. provides products and services to commercial aviation, government, and defense markets worldwide. The Parts Supply segment leases and sells aircraft components and replacement parts. The Repair & Engineering segment provides airframe maintenance services, such as airframe inspection, painting, line maintenance, airframe modification, structural repair, avionics service and installation, exterior and interior refurbishment, and engineering and support services; component repair services comprising maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, engine and airframe accessories, and interior refurbishment; and landing gear overhaul services, including repair services on wheels and brakes.