Insider Selling: Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Sells $1,654,465.43 in Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total transaction of $1,654,465.43. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 933,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $158,733,771.06. The trade was a 1.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

WLFC stock opened at $162.95 on Tuesday. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52 week low of $114.01 and a 52 week high of $207.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.57 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $153.26. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 3.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.08.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.38 by ($1.86). The business had revenue of $193.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 15.38%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is presently 10.38%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1,498.3% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 66,008 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,049,000 after acquiring an additional 61,878 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at $8,073,000. M3F Inc. increased its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 6.9% in the third quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 606,026 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $83,080,000 after purchasing an additional 39,085 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth $5,542,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 357.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 40,289 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,752,000 after purchasing an additional 31,480 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.