Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Share Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $178.36 and traded as high as $210.07. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $208.97, with a volume of 158,776 shares trading hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WLFC shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Freedom Capital cut shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of 13.14 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $194.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.57. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25.

Shares of Willis Lease Finance are set to split before the market opens on Monday, July 20th. The 3-1 split was announced on Tuesday, June 23rd. The newly minted shares will be distributed to shareholders after the market closes on Friday, July 17th.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $194.35 million for 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 9.72%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total value of $1,654,465.43. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 933,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $158,733,771.06. This trade represents a 1.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total value of $590,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,842,086.25. The trade was a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,397 shares of company stock valued at $2,979,701. Insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WLFC. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 1,498.3% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 66,008 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,049,000 after purchasing an additional 61,878 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth $8,073,000. M3F Inc. raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.9% in the third quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 606,026 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $83,080,000 after buying an additional 39,085 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 357.4% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 40,289 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,752,000 after buying an additional 31,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 780.3% in the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 33,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,537,000 after buying an additional 29,652 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.