Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) to Issue Dividend Increase – $0.40 Per Share

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) declared a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, November 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of 0.40 per share by the transportation company on Wednesday, November 26th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This is a 60.0% increase from Willis Lease Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25.

Willis Lease Finance has a dividend payout ratio of 6.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 6.0%

Shares of Willis Lease Finance stock traded down $7.52 on Tuesday, hitting $118.61. The stock had a trading volume of 106,825 shares, compared to its average volume of 71,586. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53, a quick ratio of 5.55 and a current ratio of 5.98. Willis Lease Finance has a twelve month low of $115.21 and a twelve month high of $235.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $139.63 and a 200 day moving average of $141.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $807.73 million, a P/E ratio of 7.05 and a beta of 1.06.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $3.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.34 by ($0.09). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.77% and a return on equity of 21.75%. The business had revenue of $183.39 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.00 million.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.02, for a total transaction of $4,650,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 957,046 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $148,361,270.92. This trade represents a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 9,142 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.13, for a total value of $1,372,488.46. Following the sale, the president directly owned 89,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,457,653.20. This represents a 9.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 47,258 shares of company stock worth $7,211,666. Company insiders own 53.85% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 22.5% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 365 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,696 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Palisades Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 0.5% in the third quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC now owns 20,753 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,845,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 32.7% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 820 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation operates as a lessor and servicer of commercial aircraft and aircraft engines worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Leasing and Related Operations, and Spare Parts Sales. The Leasing and Related Operations segment engages in acquiring and leasing commercial aircraft, aircraft engines, and other aircraft equipment, as well as the purchase and resale of commercial aircraft engines and other aircraft equipment, and other related businesses.