Austin Chandler Willis Sells 15,000 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,000 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total transaction of $1,100,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 435,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,968,025.92. This trade represents a 3.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

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

• On Wednesday, July 1st, Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,552 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total value of $1,161,578.88.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

WLFC stock opened at $63.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 2.00. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1 year low of $38.00 and a 1 year high of $81.54. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.03 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $70.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.89.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 11.80%.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a $0.133 dividend. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 13.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on WLFC. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Freedom Capital cut shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased 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 in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 3.0% during the 2nd 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 period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,783,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

About Willis Lease Finance

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.