KBC Group NV Acquires 11,916 Shares of Aercap Holdings N.V. $AER

Key Points

• KBC Group NV increased its stake in AerCap Holdings by 1.2% in the first quarter, buying 11,916 additional shares and bringing its total to 982,037 shares worth about $134.7 million.
• Several analysts remain constructive on AerCap, with recent price target increases from JPMorgan, TD Cowen, and Barclays. The stock’s consensus rating is now Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $168.12.
• AerCap reported solid financial results and returned cash to shareholders, posting $5.39 EPS in its latest quarter, authorizing a $1 billion share buyback, and paying a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share.

KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Aercap Holdings N.V. (NYSE:AER - Free Report) by 1.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 982,037 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 11,916 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.59% of Aercap worth $134,715,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Aercap during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Greenline Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Aercap during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aercap in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Aercap in the first quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Aercap by 26.6% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 447 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on AER shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Aercap from $150.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research downgraded Aercap from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. TD Cowen upped their price target on Aercap from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Aercap from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Aercap from $164.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Aercap has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $168.12.

Aercap Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:AER opened at $146.94 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.34. Aercap Holdings N.V. has a 12-month low of $105.65 and a 12-month high of $155.99. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $143.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $143.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.94.

Aercap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The financial services provider reported $5.39 EPS for the quarter. Aercap had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 45.22%.The business had revenue of $2.30 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts expect that Aercap Holdings N.V. will post 17.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Aercap announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 29th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 4.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Aercap Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. Aercap's payout ratio is presently 7.01%.

About Aercap

AerCap Holdings N.V. NYSE: AER is a global aircraft leasing and aviation finance company that acquires, leases, sells and manages commercial aircraft and engines. Its core services include operating leases, finance leases, sale-and-leaseback transactions, aircraft trading and remarketing, and asset management for airline customers. The company also provides related commercial and technical support services designed to optimize fleet utilization and residual values over the life cycle of aircraft and engines.

Operating with a broad global footprint, AerCap serves airlines and other aviation customers across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

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