Short Interest in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) Rises By 14.6%

AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,430,000 shares, an increase of 14.6% from the February 29th total of 2,120,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,540,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

AerCap Price Performance

AER stock traded down $0.45 on Tuesday, hitting $85.23. 1,526,131 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,596,585. AerCap has a 1-year low of $53.42 and a 1-year high of $87.90. The stock has a market cap of $16.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $80.45 and a 200-day moving average of $71.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.80.

AerCap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 23rd. The financial services provider reported $3.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.67. AerCap had a net margin of 41.37% and a return on equity of 14.92%. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.66 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that AerCap will post 9.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of AerCap

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Optiver Holding B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 96.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on AER shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of AerCap in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of AerCap from $84.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of AerCap from $103.00 to $101.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of AerCap from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Monday, February 26th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.71.

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.