Lazard Asset Management LLC Grows Position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Free Report) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 141,822 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,858 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.07% of AerCap worth $13,571,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new stake in shares of AerCap in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 1,148.5% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of AerCap by 51.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,388 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $131,000 after buying an additional 473 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AerCap by 104.3% in the fourth quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 1,949 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $187,000 after buying an additional 995 shares in the last quarter. 96.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AerCap Trading Down 0.3%

AER stock traded down $0.35 during trading on Friday, hitting $113.24. The company had a trading volume of 1,696,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,388,841. The business has a 50-day moving average of $101.55 and a 200-day moving average of $98.63. AerCap Holdings has a one year low of $82.21 and a one year high of $114.33. The stock has a market cap of $21.15 billion, a PE ratio of 8.97, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

AerCap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.69 by $0.99. The business had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.01 billion. AerCap had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 32.38%. The firm's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.29 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AerCap declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to purchase up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

AerCap Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. AerCap's payout ratio is 9.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of AerCap from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of AerCap from $101.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Bank of America boosted their price target on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on AerCap from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group downgraded AerCap to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $119.25.

AerCap Profile

AerCap Holdings N.V. engages in the lease, financing, sale, and management of commercial flight equipment in China, Hong Kong, Macau, the United States, Ireland, and internationally. The company offers aircraft asset management services, such as remarketing aircraft and engines; collecting rental and maintenance rent payments, monitoring aircraft maintenance, monitoring and enforcing contract compliance, and accepting delivery and redelivery of aircraft and engines; and conducting ongoing lessee financial performance reviews.