American Century Companies Inc. Raises Holdings in Air Lease Co. (NYSE:AL)

American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Air Lease Co. (NYSE:AL - Free Report) by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,226,921 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 389,070 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 2.90% of Air Lease worth $155,570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Air Lease during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Air Lease during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Lease by 1,506.8% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 1,115 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of Air Lease by 679.7% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,497 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 1,305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Lease by 2,018.9% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,246 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 2,140 shares during the period. 94.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Air Lease Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AL traded up $0.11 during trading on Thursday, hitting $49.13. The company had a trading volume of 785,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 726,082. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.37. Air Lease Co. has a 12 month low of $39.43 and a 12 month high of $52.31.

Air Lease (NYSE:AL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The transportation company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.44. Air Lease had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 8.01%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Air Lease Co. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Lease Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. Air Lease's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Air Lease from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Bank of America cut shares of Air Lease from a "buy" rating to an "underperform" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $72.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Air Lease in a report on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $55.67.

Air Lease Profile

Air Lease Corporation, an aircraft leasing company, engages in the purchase and leasing of commercial jet aircraft to airlines worldwide. It sells aircraft from its fleet to third parties, including other leasing companies, financial services companies, airlines, and other investors. The company provides fleet management services to investors and owners of aircraft portfolios.