Insider Selling: Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Sells 15,600 Shares of Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 15,600 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.11, for a total value of $859,716.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 2,492,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $137,342,000.73. The trade was a 0.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

NASDAQ WLFC traded up $0.20 during trading on Thursday, reaching $55.11. 89,827 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 275,057. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $69.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.82 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $38.00 and a fifty-two week high of $81.54.

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

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a $0.133 dividend. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 13.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on WLFC shares. UBS Group set a $71.00 price objective on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $71.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth approximately $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares during the period. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth $109,000. 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.