Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Grows Position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its holdings in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Free Report) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 322,270 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 21,510 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky owned 0.16% of AerCap worth $30,842,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp purchased a new stake in shares of AerCap during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of AerCap during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in AerCap in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its stake in AerCap by 1,148.5% in the fourth quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $121,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of AerCap by 51.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,388 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $131,000 after buying an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. 96.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AerCap Stock Performance

AER stock traded up $1.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $103.30. 992,261 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,404,408. AerCap Holdings has a 52-week low of $82.21 and a 52-week high of $107.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. The stock has a market cap of $19.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.19, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.46. The stock's 50-day moving average is $99.29 and its 200 day moving average is $97.26.

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

AerCap announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 26th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This is a boost from AerCap's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. AerCap's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.99%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on AER shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on AerCap from $112.00 to $101.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group downgraded shares of AerCap to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America lifted 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. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. One equities 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.com, AerCap has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $117.14.

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.