Austin Chandler Willis Sells 15,000 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total value of $1,100,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 435,888 shares in the company, valued at $31,968,025.92. This trade represents a 3.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Austin Chandler Willis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, July 1st, Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,552 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total transaction of $1,161,578.88.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

NASDAQ:WLFC traded down $5.41 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $65.21. 215,960 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 278,446. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 11.89 and a beta of 0.74. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a twelve month low of $38.00 and a twelve month high of $81.54. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $70.57 and its 200-day moving average is $65.82.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.65%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at $109,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Freedom Capital lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Lease Finance presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Key Headlines Impacting Willis Lease Finance

Here are the key news stories impacting Willis Lease Finance this week:

• Positive Sentiment: WLFC reported diluted EPS of $1.31, well above the $0.90 consensus estimate, while revenue of $194.0 million exceeded expectations of $175.0 million. Willis Lease Finance Corporation Reports Solid Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying operations improved: operating income rose 20.2% to $34.0 million, lease-rent revenue increased 6.7% to $77.1 million, and gains on leased-equipment sales climbed 16.2% to $32.0 million. Adjusted EBITDA increased 4.0% to $120.7 million.
• Positive Sentiment: Assets under management grew 21% year over year to $4.4 billion. Management also outlined approximately $1.3 billion of discretionary fund capital available for deployment and announced expansion of aviation services through a Pratt & Whitney engine-storage agreement. Willis Lease outlines $1.3B of discretionary fund capital
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call emphasized growth in Willis Aviation Capital, new investment-fund partnerships and broader asset-management opportunities, but the funds’ eventual contribution will depend on deployment and investment performance. Willis Lease Finance Earnings Call Highlights Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Net income attributable to common shareholders fell 51.2% to $28.7 million, and diluted EPS declined from $2.81 a year earlier. The comparison was pressured by the absence of a prior-year $43.0 million gain from selling the BAML business, while WLFC recorded a $5.4 million debt-extinguishment loss in the latest quarter.
• Negative Sentiment: Total revenue edged down year over year, maintenance-reserve revenue declined 8.4%, and the company remains highly leveraged, with debt obligations of about $2.32 billion. Reported insider activity also showed substantially more selling than buying, adding a potential sentiment overhang.

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.