Air Lease Corporation $AL Shares Acquired by WINTON GROUP Ltd

Key Points

• WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its position in Air Lease by 585.9% in Q3, acquiring an additional 143,357 shares to hold 167,825 shares worth about $10.68 million (≈0.15% of the company).
• Company insiders have been net sellers: Director Steven F. Udvar‑Hazy sold 64,000 shares and EVP Kishore Korde sold 20,662, with insiders disposing of 483,125 shares (≈$30.94 million) over the past three months, leaving insiders with 6.8% ownership.
• Air Lease reported quarterly EPS of $2.20 (vs. $1.46 expected) but revenue missed estimates at $679.5M; the company declared a $0.22 quarterly dividend (1.4% yield) and carries a consensus analyst rating of Moderate Buy with a $66 price target.

WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its position in shares of Air Lease Corporation (NYSE:AL - Free Report) by 585.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 167,825 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 143,357 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd owned approximately 0.15% of Air Lease worth $10,682,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Archer Investment Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Air Lease by 5.1% during the third quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 3,415 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC lifted its position in Air Lease by 4.8% during the third quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 3,982 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Eastern Bank lifted its position in Air Lease by 33.2% during the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 799 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in Air Lease by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,153 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $710,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Air Lease by 75.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 546 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the period. 94.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AL shares. Barclays reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $65.00 price objective (down from $68.00) on shares of Air Lease in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Air Lease from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Air Lease in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Lease presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Lease

In other news, Director Steven F. Udvar-Hazy sold 64,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.02, for a total value of $4,097,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 74,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,737,480. This trade represents a 46.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Kishore Korde sold 20,662 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.10, for a total value of $1,324,434.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 50,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,210,833.10. The trade was a 29.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 483,125 shares of company stock valued at $30,937,868 over the last three months. 6.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Air Lease Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE AL opened at $64.52 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.93, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.46. Air Lease Corporation has a one year low of $38.25 and a one year high of $64.96. The company's 50 day moving average price is $64.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.83.

Air Lease (NYSE:AL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The transportation company reported $2.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.74. Air Lease had a net margin of 35.72% and a return on equity of 8.54%. The company had revenue of $679.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $782.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Air Lease Corporation will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Air Lease Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 7th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Air Lease's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.45%.

About Air Lease

Air Lease Corporation NYSE: AL is a leading aircraft leasing company that acquires commercial jet aircraft and leases them to airlines worldwide. The firm's core business activities include direct aircraft acquisition, lease management and portfolio remarketing. By structuring sale‐and‐leaseback transactions, operating leases and secured loans, Air Lease provides flexible financing solutions that enable carriers to modernize their fleets without committing large amounts of capital to ownership.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Los Angeles, Air Lease Corporation serves a diverse customer base spanning North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

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