Insider Selling: Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Sells $1,100,100.00 in Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,000 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total value of $1,100,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 435,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,968,025.92. This represents a 3.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Austin Chandler Willis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, July 1st, Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,552 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total value of $1,161,578.88.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Shares of WLFC stock opened at $61.05 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.31 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $70.74 and a 200 day moving average of $65.86. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52 week low of $38.00 and a 52 week high of $81.54. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

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

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $0.133 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 13.28%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,283,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the 1st quarter valued at about $563,000. Creative Planning purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at about $223,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 951.4% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,346 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,904,000 after acquiring an additional 24,745 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WLFC has been the topic of several research reports. Freedom Capital cut Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

About Willis Lease Finance

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.