Copeland Capital Management LLC Reduces Position in Air Lease Corporation (NYSE:AL)

Copeland Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in Air Lease Corporation (NYSE:AL - Free Report) by 2.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,729,828 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 47,188 shares during the quarter. Air Lease comprises about 1.7% of Copeland Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned 1.55% of Air Lease worth $83,568,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in shares of Air Lease by 30.5% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 9,130 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $440,000 after purchasing an additional 2,134 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Air Lease by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,022,459 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,293,000 after acquiring an additional 131,453 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Air Lease by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 59,410 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,864,000 after acquiring an additional 5,785 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Air Lease in the fourth quarter worth about $593,000. Finally, US Bancorp DE raised its position in Air Lease by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 89,723 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,326,000 after acquiring an additional 5,428 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.59% of the company's stock.

Air Lease Stock Up 1.1%

Air Lease stock traded up $0.66 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $58.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,043,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 786,709. The firm's 50 day moving average is $54.37 and its 200 day moving average is $49.29. The company has a market cap of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of 10.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.39. Air Lease Corporation has a 52-week low of $38.25 and a 52-week high of $59.27.

Air Lease (NYSE:AL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $738.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.70 million. Air Lease had a return on equity of 8.04% and a net margin of 24.77%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.87 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Air Lease Corporation will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Lease Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. Air Lease's payout ratio is 15.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AL has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup upgraded shares of Air Lease from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. UBS Group set a $50.00 price objective on Air Lease in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Lease from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Bank of America cut Air Lease from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $72.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Lease presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $57.43.

Insider Activity at Air Lease

In other Air Lease news, EVP Grant A. Levy sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.85, for a total transaction of $568,500.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 146,316 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,318,064.60. This represents a 6.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.64% of the company's stock.

About Air Lease

Air Lease Corporation, an aircraft leasing company, engages in the purchase and leasing of commercial jet aircraft to airlines worldwide. It sells aircraft from its fleet to third parties, including other leasing companies, financial services companies, airlines, and other investors. The company provides fleet management services to investors and owners of aircraft portfolios.