Short Interest in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Increases By 229.9%

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,040,210 shares, a growth of 229.9% from the July 15th total of 618,367 shares. Approximately 20.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 255,243 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 8.0 days.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,552 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total transaction of $1,161,578.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 450,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,676,824.72. This trade represents a 3.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 53.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth about $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at about $109,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of NASDAQ WLFC traded up $1.61 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $56.05. The company had a trading volume of 92,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,639. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 14.06 and a beta of 0.74. Willis Lease Finance has a one year low of $38.00 and a one year high of $81.54. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $194.02 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a $0.133 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 13.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on WLFC. UBS Group set a $71.00 price objective on Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Freedom Capital raised Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $71.00.

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.