Short Interest in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Increases By 229.9%

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,040,210 shares, a growth of 229.9% from the July 15th total of 618,367 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 255,243 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 8.0 days. Currently, 20.7% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,552 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total value of $1,161,578.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 450,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,676,824.72. This represents a 3.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 53.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLFC. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised 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 purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 3.0% in the second 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 last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,144 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,783,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 4.6%

Shares of WLFC opened at $56.93 on Friday. Willis Lease Finance has a one year low of $38.00 and a one year high of $81.54. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $70.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.63. The company has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.28 and a beta of 0.74.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.133 per share. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 13.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WLFC shares. Freedom Capital upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Lease Finance currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.00.

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.