HighTower Advisors LLC Trims Holdings in AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER)

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER) by 8.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,729 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 968 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in AerCap were worth $1,016,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in AerCap by 89.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 283 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new position in AerCap in the second quarter worth approximately $7,468,000. Bensler LLC increased its holdings in AerCap by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bensler LLC now owns 26,204 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,442,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in AerCap by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 174,132 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,229,000 after purchasing an additional 7,046 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its position in AerCap by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 21,430 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,997,000 after purchasing an additional 2,085 shares in the last quarter. 96.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AerCap Price Performance

Shares of AER stock opened at $95.11 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $18.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.54, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.82. 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 stock’s 50-day moving average is $96.45 and its 200 day moving average is $94.47. AerCap Holdings has a 1-year low of $70.48 and a 1-year high of $100.81.

AerCap (NYSE:AER) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.41. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.92 billion. AerCap had a net margin of 32.38% and a return on equity of 13.98%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.81 EPS. Research analysts predict that AerCap Holdings will post 11.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AerCap Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. AerCap’s payout ratio is presently 7.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AER shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on AerCap from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $119.00 target price on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $112.00.

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.