Austin Chandler Willis Sells 3,400 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total value of $590,070.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 183,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,842,086.25. This represents a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

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

• On Monday, February 2nd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.74, for a total value of $631,516.00.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

WLFC remained flat at $175.89 during midday trading on Friday. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 54,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 63,257. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1-year low of $114.01 and a 1-year high of $207.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.08, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 3.86. The company’s 50-day moving average is $185.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.76.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.38 by ($1.86). Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 15.38%.The business had revenue of $193.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 10.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 22.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 365 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in 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 worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Palisades Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.5% in the third quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC now owns 20,753 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,845,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

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.