Millennium Management LLC Acquires 705,212 Shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Free Report) by 190.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,074,931 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 705,212 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC owned about 0.54% of AerCap worth $102,871,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. 59 North Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of AerCap by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP now owns 3,704,914 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $354,560,000 after buying an additional 538,703 shares during the period. Lyrical Asset Management LP boosted its holdings in AerCap by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Lyrical Asset Management LP now owns 3,097,840 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $296,463,000 after acquiring an additional 38,264 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP increased its position in AerCap by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,934,185 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $280,802,000 after purchasing an additional 86,548 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd raised its holdings in AerCap by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,550,350 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $244,068,000 after purchasing an additional 167,830 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in AerCap in the 4th quarter worth $218,517,000. Institutional investors own 96.42% of the company's stock.

AerCap Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of AER traded down $0.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $113.24. The company had a trading volume of 1,696,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,389,279. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $21.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $101.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.66. AerCap Holdings has a 52 week low of $82.21 and a 52 week high of $114.33.

AerCap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $3.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.69 by $0.99. AerCap had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 32.38%. The business had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.29 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 EPS for the current year.

AerCap Announces Dividend

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

AerCap declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase 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 believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of AerCap from $120.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group downgraded AerCap to an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up previously from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on AerCap from $112.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, AerCap currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $119.25.

About AerCap

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.