Insider Selling: Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Sells $1,078,291.00 in Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 19,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.87, for a total value of $1,078,291.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 2,565,643 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $143,342,474.41. This trade represents a 0.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

NASDAQ WLFC opened at $54.37 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a PE ratio of 13.64 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.52. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1-year low of $38.00 and a 1-year high of $81.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.31.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 11.80%.The firm had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a dividend of $0.133 per share. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 13.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WLFC shares. Freedom Capital raised shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group set a $71.00 price target on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note 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 report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Denali Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 780.3% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 33,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,537,000 after purchasing an additional 29,652 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,462,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 5,153 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $699,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the period. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 102,259 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,870,000 after buying an additional 3,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at about $133,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.