WCM Investment Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in FTAI Aviation Ltd. $FTAI

Key Points

• WCM Investment Management slashed its FTAI Aviation stake by 98.2% in the first quarter, selling 380,549 shares and ending with 7,097 shares valued at about $1.62 million.
• FTAI Aviation shares rose 5.3% to open at $210.25, while the company remains heavily owned by institutions, with hedge funds and other investors holding 88.96% of the stock.
• The company reported Q1 earnings of $1.29 per share, missing estimates, even as revenue climbed 65.4% year over year to $830.7 million; analysts still largely remain positive, with a consensus target of $333.12.

WCM Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in FTAI Aviation Ltd. (NASDAQ:FTAI - Free Report) by 98.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,097 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 380,549 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC's holdings in FTAI Aviation were worth $1,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of FTAI Aviation by 41.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 8,916,830 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,755,290,000 after acquiring an additional 2,596,265 shares in the last quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of FTAI Aviation by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 3,700,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $728,345,000 after acquiring an additional 339,447 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP raised its position in shares of FTAI Aviation by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 2,350,625 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $462,721,000 after acquiring an additional 220,384 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in FTAI Aviation by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,004,963 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $394,757,000 after purchasing an additional 71,271 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in FTAI Aviation by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,745,498 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $343,601,000 after purchasing an additional 20,378 shares during the last quarter. 88.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FTAI Aviation Trading Up 5.3%

FTAI opened at $210.25 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $21.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.46. FTAI Aviation Ltd. has a 52 week low of $109.90 and a 52 week high of $323.51. The business's 50 day moving average is $244.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $254.51. The company has a quick ratio of 2.48, a current ratio of 5.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.00.

FTAI Aviation (NASDAQ:FTAI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The financial services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.32). The firm had revenue of $830.70 million during the quarter. FTAI Aviation had a net margin of 18.92% and a return on equity of 181.43%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 65.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that FTAI Aviation Ltd. will post 6.77 EPS for the current year.

FTAI Aviation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. FTAI Aviation's dividend payout ratio is 31.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other FTAI Aviation news, Director Martin Tuchman sold 67,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $241.99, for a total transaction of $16,334,325.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 210,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $50,936,717.09. This trade represents a 24.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Judith A. Hannaway sold 255 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.89, for a total value of $64,741.95. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $764,716.68. This represents a 7.81% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 254,515 shares of company stock valued at $61,599,445. 1.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FTAI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of FTAI Aviation from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday. Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of FTAI Aviation in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They set a "market outperform" rating and a $375.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $319.00 target price on shares of FTAI Aviation in a report on Friday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of FTAI Aviation in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of FTAI Aviation from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $333.12.

About FTAI Aviation

FTAI Aviation NASDAQ: FTAI is a commercial aircraft leasing company that acquires, manages and leases wide-body jet aircraft to airlines globally. The company's portfolio is focused on modern, fuel-efficient Boeing models, including the 767, 777 and 787 families, which are deployed under long-term operating leases. By concentrating on in-demand wide-body assets, FTAI Aviation seeks to deliver stable cash flows through lease rentals and maintenance reserve collections while providing airlines with flexible fleet solutions.

In addition to lease origination, FTAI Aviation offers end-to-end asset management services.

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