Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC Shares Bought by Wedbush Securities Inc.

Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,801 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,444 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. owned 0.12% of Willis Lease Finance worth $1,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 39.3% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth about $229,000. Cetera Investment Advisers bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 1st quarter valued at about $220,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at about $321,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at about $343,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WLFC shares. UBS Group set a $71.00 price target on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research raised Willis Lease Finance to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $80.00 price objective on Willis Lease Finance and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $75.50.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

Shares of WLFC stock opened at $38.99 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $823.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.78, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.73. The business’s fifty day moving average is $49.87 and its 200 day moving average is $61.53. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a twelve month low of $36.39 and a twelve month high of $81.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $192.83 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 11.80%. Research analysts expect that Willis Lease Finance Corporation will post 5.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a $0.1330 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is a drop from Willis Lease Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.1333. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 13.28%.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, Chairman Charles Willis, IV sold 15,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.11, for a total value of $859,716.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 2,492,143 shares in the company, valued at $137,342,000.73. This trade represents a 0.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Austin Willis sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.90, for a total transaction of $808,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 420,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,685,863.20. The trade was a 3.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 211,700 shares of company stock valued at $12,037,208 in the last three months. 53.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Willis Lease Finance Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation is a commercial aircraft engine lessor and aviation services company headquartered in Coconut Creek, Florida. Founded in 1985, the company provides engines and related aviation assets to airlines, aircraft lessors, maintenance providers and other customers worldwide.

Its principal business is leasing spare and in-service commercial aircraft engines, including engines used for narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. Willis Lease Finance also provides engine portfolio management, maintenance and asset management services, and sells or leases aircraft engine parts and related equipment.