Two Sigma Advisers LP Raises Stock Position in Air Lease Co. (NYSE:AL)

Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of Air Lease Co. (NYSE:AL) by 27.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 147,200 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,900 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned 0.13% of Air Lease worth $7,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AL. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Air Lease during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in Air Lease during the 4th quarter worth approximately $202,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Lease during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,414,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Lease by 1,944.9% in the fourth quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC now owns 129,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,232,000 after acquiring an additional 122,940 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Air Lease by 104.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,033 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 43,981 shares in the last quarter. 94.59% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Lease Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE AL opened at $56.89 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68. The firm has a market cap of $6.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.33. Air Lease Co. has a 52 week low of $38.25 and a 52 week high of $59.27.

Air Lease (NYSE:AL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $738.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.70 million. Air Lease had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 8.01%. Air Lease’s revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.87 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Air Lease Co. will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Lease Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. Air Lease’s payout ratio is presently 15.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AL has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Lease from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Bank of America lowered shares of Air Lease from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $72.00 to $50.00 in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group set a $50.00 target price on shares of Air Lease in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Air Lease from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $45.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Air Lease from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Lease has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.43.

Insider Activity at Air Lease

In related news, EVP Grant A. Levy sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.85, for a total transaction of $568,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 146,316 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,318,064.60. This trade represents a 6.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Lease Company Profile

Air Lease Corporation, an aircraft leasing company, engages in the purchase and leasing of commercial jet aircraft to airlines worldwide. It sells aircraft from its fleet to third parties, including other leasing companies, financial services companies, airlines, and other investors. The company provides fleet management services to investors and owners of aircraft portfolios.