Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC Stock Purchased by Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.

Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. increased its position in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) by 195.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 124,554 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 82,329 shares during the period. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. owned 0.59% of Willis Lease Finance worth $6,216,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 39.3% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $229,000. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 1st quarter worth approximately $220,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $321,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $343,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, Chairman Charles Willis, IV sold 15,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.11, for a total transaction of $859,716.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 2,492,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $137,342,000.73. This represents a 0.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott Flaherty sold 8,326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.56, for a total value of $445,940.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 214,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,479,193.44. This represents a 3.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 196,700 shares of company stock worth $10,937,108. Company insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ WLFC opened at $46.92 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $47.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.45, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1-year low of $36.39 and a 1-year high of $81.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $992.83 million, a P/E ratio of 13.13, a PEG ratio of 3.86 and a beta of 0.76.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The transportation company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by ($0.60). The company had revenue of $243.74 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $170.43 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 9.38% and a return on equity of 11.89%. As a group, research analysts expect that Willis Lease Finance Corporation will post 3.75 EPS for the current year.

Willis Lease Finance Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is an increase from Willis Lease Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.1330. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WLFC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Willis Lease Finance to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group set a $71.00 price target on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Willis Lease Finance and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.50.

Willis Lease Finance Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation is a commercial aircraft engine lessor and aviation services company headquartered in Coconut Creek, Florida. Founded in 1985, the company provides engines and related aviation assets to airlines, aircraft lessors, maintenance providers and other customers worldwide.

Its principal business is leasing spare and in-service commercial aircraft engines, including engines used for narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. Willis Lease Finance also provides engine portfolio management, maintenance and asset management services, and sells or leases aircraft engine parts and related equipment.