Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis Sells 13,500 Shares

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 13,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.47, for a total transaction of $735,345.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 2,535,843 shares in the company, valued at $138,127,368.21. This trade represents a 0.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of WLFC stock traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $55.15. The company had a trading volume of 194,858 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,651. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.74. The company’s fifty day moving average is $69.68 and its 200 day moving average is $65.49. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $38.00 and a fifty-two week high of $81.54.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $194.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 11.80% and a return on equity of 14.11%.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a $0.133 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 1.0%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is presently 13.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WLFC. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Willis Lease Finance presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $71.00.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at about $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at about $109,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) is an independent global provider of aircraft engine leasing, trading and aftermarket services. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in the United States, the company specializes in offering short- and long-term operating leases for jet engines and auxiliary power units. Through its broad engine portfolio, Willis Lease Finance supports a wide range of commercial aircraft across various operators, including major airlines, regional carriers and other leasing companies.

In addition to leasing solutions, Willis Lease Finance offers comprehensive engine trading and asset management services.