Two Sigma Investments LP Purchases Shares of 38,067 Air Lease Co. (NYSE:AL)

Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Air Lease Co. (NYSE:AL) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 38,067 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,835,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in AL. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Air Lease during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Air Lease in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Engine Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Air Lease during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Air Lease by 5,245.0% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,069 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Lease by 1,506.8% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,189 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.59% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America downgraded Air Lease from a “buy” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $72.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Air Lease from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup upgraded Air Lease from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $45.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. UBS Group set a $50.00 price target on Air Lease in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Air Lease from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.43.

Air Lease Stock Performance

AL opened at $56.77 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.37. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.36. Air Lease Co. has a 1 year low of $38.25 and a 1 year high of $59.27. The company has a market capitalization of $6.34 billion, a PE ratio of 17.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.33.

Air Lease (NYSE:AL) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.27. Air Lease had a net margin of 15.65% and a return on equity of 8.01%. The company had revenue of $738.28 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. Air Lease’s quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Air Lease Co. will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Air Lease Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 4th. Air Lease’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Grant A. Levy sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.85, for a total transaction of $568,500.00. Following 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 represents a 6.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.64% of the company’s stock.

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.