Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Reduces Position in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank reduced its stake in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 139,880 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,465 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned approximately 0.07% of AerCap worth $13,387,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in AerCap by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,322 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. NS Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in AerCap in the 4th quarter valued at $209,000. Andra AP fonden grew its holdings in AerCap by 64.8% in the 4th quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 80,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,666,000 after buying an additional 31,500 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in AerCap in the 4th quarter valued at $343,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in AerCap in the 4th quarter valued at $3,284,000. 96.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AerCap Trading Up 2.3 %

AerCap stock traded up $2.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $101.37. 1,379,206 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,277,960. 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 firm has a market cap of $18.93 billion, a PE ratio of 8.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.43. AerCap Holdings has a 12-month low of $81.93 and a 12-month high of $107.36.

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

AerCap announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 26th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows 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 believes its shares are undervalued.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This is a positive change from AerCap's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. AerCap's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 9.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AER. UBS Group cut AerCap to an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Bank of America increased their price target on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price target (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Susquehanna increased their price target on AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $119.00 price target on shares of AerCap in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, AerCap presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $117.43.

AerCap 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.