Short Interest in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Increases By 19.7%

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 41,400 shares, a growth of 19.7% from the July 15th total of 34,600 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 19,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days. Approximately 1.9% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 4.0 %

NASDAQ:WLFC traded up $3.78 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $97.23. The stock had a trading volume of 16,123 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,341. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market cap of $638.80 million, a P/E ratio of 11.13 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50 day moving average is $74.88 and its 200 day moving average is $60.53. Willis Lease Finance has a fifty-two week low of $39.50 and a fifty-two week high of $103.08.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Lease Finance news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total transaction of $412,402.23. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 107,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,237,333.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total transaction of $412,402.23. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 107,875 shares in the company, valued at $7,237,333.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Keady sold 1,340 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.28, for a total transaction of $124,995.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,713,367.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 45,125 shares of company stock valued at $3,118,844. Company insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,204,000 after purchasing an additional 865 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,095,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,732 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,367,000 after buying an additional 1,187 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $242,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th.

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.