Optimize Financial Inc Makes New $354,000 Investment in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 3,698 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $354,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 282,980 shares during the period. Lyrical Asset Management LP raised its position in shares of AerCap by 1.3% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP boosted its position in shares of AerCap by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 2,934,185 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $280,802,000 after purchasing an additional 86,548 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in AerCap in the fourth quarter valued at about $218,517,000. 96.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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. Bank of America lifted their price objective on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 target price (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group lowered shares of AerCap to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AerCap presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $117.14.

AerCap Stock Up 2.4 %

AER traded up $2.31 on Friday, hitting $97.44. 2,686,544 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,398,252. 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $99.40 and its 200-day moving average is $97.10. The company has a market cap of $18.20 billion, a PE ratio of 7.72, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.46. AerCap Holdings has a 12 month low of $82.21 and a 12 month high of $107.36.

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

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

AerCap Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This is a positive change from AerCap's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. AerCap's dividend payout ratio is currently 9.99%.

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.