Bruce & Co. Inc. Acquires 70,000 Shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Bruce & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Free Report) by 87.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 150,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 70,000 shares during the period. AerCap makes up 4.6% of Bruce & Co. Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Bruce & Co. Inc. owned 0.08% of AerCap worth $14,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AER. Toth Financial Advisory Corp bought a new stake in shares of AerCap in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in AerCap in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new stake in shares of AerCap during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AerCap during the 3rd quarter worth $64,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of AerCap in the third quarter worth $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.42% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AER has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group cut shares of AerCap to an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays restated 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, AerCap presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $117.43.

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AerCap Price Performance

AER stock traded down $0.67 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $102.96. 900,044 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,269,874. The company has a market capitalization of $19.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 0.67 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The company has a 50-day moving average of $99.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $96.81. AerCap Holdings has a twelve month low of $81.93 and a twelve month high of $107.36.

AerCap (NYSE:AER - Get Free Report) last posted 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. 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 analysts' expectations of $1.97 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. 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%. AerCap's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.99%.

AerCap declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, February 26th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.