Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Hits New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The company traded as low as $37.99 and last traded at $38.1690, with a volume of 33,702 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $39.19.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WLFC shares. 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. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $80.00 price target on shares of Willis Lease Finance and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Willis Lease Finance to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.50.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 3.5%

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 business has a fifty day moving average of $53.15 and a 200-day moving average of $62.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $798.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.73.

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

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The company 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 $0.1330 per share. This is a decrease from Willis Lease Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.1333. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 8,326 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.56, for a total transaction of $445,940.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 214,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,479,193.44. The trade was a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 15,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.11, for a total transaction of $859,716.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 2,492,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $137,342,000.73. This represents a 0.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 211,700 shares of company stock worth $12,037,208 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Copeland Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 533.8% during the third quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 578,191 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,858,000 after purchasing an additional 486,959 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $360,000. AXQ Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $562,000. Susquehanna Advisors Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,185,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $526,000. 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 aviation services company that provides commercial aircraft engines, auxiliary power units, and related equipment to airlines, aircraft operators, maintenance providers, and other aviation customers. Its leasing activities include short- and long-term engine leasing, spare engine programs, and the financing and management of aviation assets.

The company also provides engine and component services, including maintenance, repair, and overhaul support; engine refurbishment and modification; parts sales; and technical and asset-management services.