Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $172.24 and traded as high as $179.76. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $177.48, with a volume of 135,118 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on WLFC shares. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Freedom Capital cut shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 3.7%

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.18 and a beta of 0.76. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $190.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $172.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 2.00.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.72%.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total transaction of $590,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares in the company, valued at $31,842,086.25. This trade represents a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total value of $1,654,465.43. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 933,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $158,733,771.06. The trade was a 1.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,397 shares of company stock valued at $3,333,181. Company insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter valued at $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 valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at $109,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.