Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Shares Gap Up to $83.69

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $83.69, but opened at $85.38. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $86.32, with a volume of 2,794 shares traded.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 1.1 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $66.75 and its 200-day moving average is $55.74. The firm has a market cap of $555.76 million, a P/E ratio of 9.64 and a beta of 1.05.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The transportation company reported $3.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $119.08 million during the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 13.45% and a return on equity of 13.77%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total value of $412,402.23. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 107,875 shares in the company, valued at $7,237,333.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Willis Lease Finance news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total value of $412,402.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 107,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,237,333.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,098 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.47, for a total transaction of $287,884.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 98,519 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,563,367.93. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 51,170 shares of company stock worth $3,292,193. Insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,204,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at $69,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the first quarter valued at about $114,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation operates as a lessor and servicer of commercial aircraft and aircraft engines worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Leasing and Related Operations, and Spare Parts Sales. The Leasing and Related Operations segment engages in acquiring and leasing commercial aircraft, aircraft engines, and other aircraft equipment, as well as the purchase and resale of commercial aircraft engines and other aircraft equipment, and other related businesses.