Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Shares Cross Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $188.98 and traded as high as $217.52. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $206.96, with a volume of 114,931 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WLFC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. 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. Weiss Ratings downgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Down 2.2%

The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.64 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $200.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $189.40.

Willis Lease Finance shares are scheduled to split 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 data on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $1.01. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 15.72% and a return on equity of 19.22%. The business had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.40 dividend. 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 0.8%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 5,184 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.07, for a total transaction of $1,161,578.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 150,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,676,824.72. The trade was a 3.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 53.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings 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 valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,144 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position 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 worth $3,783,000 after buying 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.