Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Stock Position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) by 8.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 140,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,987 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.07% of AerCap worth $13,440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new stake in AerCap during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of AerCap during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of AerCap during the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of AerCap in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $78,000. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of AerCap by 1,148.5% in the 4th quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $121,000 after buying an additional 1,160 shares during the last quarter. 96.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

AerCap Stock Performance

Shares of AER stock opened at $102.14 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $99.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $97.21. AerCap Holdings has a 52 week low of $81.93 and a 52 week high of $107.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.08 billion, a PE ratio of 8.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.56 by $0.75. The business had revenue of $2.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. AerCap had a net margin of 32.38% and a return on equity of 13.98%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current year.

AerCap announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership 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 given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This is a boost from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. AerCap’s dividend payout ratio is 9.99%.

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.