Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Acquires Shares of 32,222 AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 32,222 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,084,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Birnam Oak Advisors LP bought a new position in AerCap during the fourth quarter valued at $2,392,000. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of AerCap by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. now owns 303,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,011,000 after purchasing an additional 6,235 shares during the last quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of AerCap by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC now owns 3,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $300,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of AerCap by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP bought a new stake in shares of AerCap during the fourth quarter worth $1,491,000. Institutional investors own 96.42% of the company’s stock.

AerCap Trading Up 1.3 %

AER opened at $104.35 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $19.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.27, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89. AerCap Holdings has a 12 month low of $81.93 and a 12 month high of $107.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $98.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $96.59.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The financial services provider reported $3.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.56 by $0.75. The firm had revenue of $2.07 billion during 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that AerCap Holdings will post 11.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AerCap Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. This is a positive change from AerCap’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. AerCap’s payout ratio is presently 9.99%.

AerCap announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 26th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 4.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price (up from $113.00) on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America lifted their target price on AerCap from $105.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $119.00 target price on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. UBS Group downgraded AerCap to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on AerCap from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.43.

AerCap Company 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.