Marshall Wace LLP Decreases Stock Position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Marshall Wace LLP lowered its position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Free Report) by 58.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 96,972 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 138,360 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP's holdings in AerCap were worth $9,280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AER. Norges Bank bought a new position in AerCap in the fourth quarter worth approximately $218,517,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in AerCap by 137.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 834,452 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $79,857,000 after acquiring an additional 483,564 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in AerCap by 43.3% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,599,032 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $153,027,000 after acquiring an additional 483,428 shares in the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in AerCap by 896.4% in the fourth quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 391,506 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $37,467,000 after acquiring an additional 352,215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in AerCap by 5.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,601,208 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $545,726,000 after acquiring an additional 282,980 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.42% of the company's stock.

AerCap Stock Performance

Shares of AER traded up $0.52 on Monday, reaching $103.82. 2,443,090 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,406,645. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The stock has a market cap of $19.39 billion, a PE ratio of 8.23, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.46. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $99.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.43. AerCap Holdings has a 52-week low of $82.21 and a 52-week high of $107.36.

AerCap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.75. The company had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. AerCap had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 32.38%. On average, analysts forecast that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

AerCap Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $0.27 dividend. This is an increase from AerCap's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. AerCap's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on AER shares. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America increased their price objective on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on AerCap from $112.00 to $101.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group downgraded AerCap to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price objective on AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $117.14.

AerCap Company 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.