Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. Purchases 7,196 Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC

Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) by 22.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,839 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,196 shares during the period. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. owned approximately 0.52% of Willis Lease Finance worth $5,688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 48.7% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,949 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 4.2% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,249 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,145,000 after buying an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 23.6% during the first quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 96,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $15,307,000 after buying an additional 18,519 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 152,536 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $24,096,000 after acquiring an additional 10,436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter valued at about $914,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other Willis Lease Finance news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.02, for a total transaction of $4,650,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 957,046 shares in the company, valued at $148,361,270.92. This represents a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 9,142 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.13, for a total value of $1,372,488.46. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 89,640 shares in the company, valued at $13,457,653.20. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 51,342 shares of company stock valued at $7,680,275. Insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of WLFC stock opened at $123.71 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $137.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $141.20. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12-month low of $115.21 and a 12-month high of $235.43. The company has a quick ratio of 5.55, a current ratio of 5.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53. The firm has a market cap of $842.47 million, a P/E ratio of 7.35 and a beta of 1.10.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.34 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $183.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.77% and a return on equity of 21.75%.

Willis Lease Finance Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This is a positive change from Willis Lease Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold”.

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.