Banco BTG Pactual S.A. Reduces Position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. lowered its position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) by 23.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,447 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,026 shares during the quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A.’s holdings in AerCap were worth $621,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp acquired a new position in shares of AerCap in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in AerCap in the third quarter valued at $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AerCap during the third quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of AerCap during the third quarter worth about $66,000. 96.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on AER. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America upped their price target on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.43.

AerCap Price Performance

AerCap stock opened at $102.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.67. AerCap Holdings has a one year low of $81.93 and a one year high of $107.36. The company has a market cap of $19.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. The business has a fifty day moving average of $99.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.90.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.75. AerCap had a net margin of 32.38% and a return on equity of 13.98%. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. As a group, analysts predict that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AerCap declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This is an increase from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.99%.

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.