Charles Iv Willis Sells 16,300 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 16,300 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.98, for a total transaction of $879,874.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 2,549,343 shares in the company, valued at approximately $137,613,535.14. The trade was a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ:WLFC traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $55.15. 194,858 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 277,651. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.63. The company has a fifty day moving average of $69.68 and a 200 day moving average of $65.49. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12 month low of $38.00 and a 12 month high of $81.54.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.41. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 11.80% and a return on equity of 14.11%. The business 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a $0.133 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.28%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,144 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,783,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.