Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.60 EPS

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The transportation company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.07 by ($0.60), Zacks reports. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 11.80%.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

NASDAQ WLFC opened at $43.96 on Tuesday. Willis Lease Finance has a 52-week low of $36.39 and a 52-week high of $81.54. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.82. 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 market capitalization of $928.92 million, a PE ratio of 11.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.76.

Willis Lease Finance Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Willis Lease Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.1330. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 13.28%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 8,326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.56, for a total transaction of $445,940.56. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 214,324 shares in the company, valued at $11,479,193.44. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Austin Willis sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.90, for a total transaction of $808,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 420,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,685,863.20. The trade was a 3.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 196,700 shares of company stock valued at $10,937,108. Company insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WLFC. UBS Group set a $71.00 price target on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Freedom Capital raised Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research raised shares of Willis Lease Finance to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $80.00 target price on shares of Willis Lease Finance and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.50.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation is a commercial aircraft engine lessor and aviation services company headquartered in Coconut Creek, Florida. Founded in 1985, the company provides engines and related aviation assets to airlines, aircraft lessors, maintenance providers and other customers worldwide.

Its principal business is leasing spare and in-service commercial aircraft engines, including engines used for narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. Willis Lease Finance also provides engine portfolio management, maintenance and asset management services, and sells or leases aircraft engine parts and related equipment.