Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $172.24 and traded as high as $179.76. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $177.48, with a volume of 135,118 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Freedom Capital lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $190.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $172.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 2.00.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $1.01. The company had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 15.72% and a return on equity of 19.22%.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is presently 9.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total transaction of $1,654,465.43. Following the sale, the chairman owned 933,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $158,733,771.06. This represents a 1.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 183,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,842,086.25. This represents a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 19,397 shares of company stock worth $3,333,181 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position 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 valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.0% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,696 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position 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 worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,783,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.