Austin Chandler Willis Sells 587 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 587 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.46, for a total transaction of $70,710.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 182,076 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,932,874.96. The trade was a 0.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

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

• On Tuesday, December 2nd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 2,232 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.33, for a total transaction of $268,576.56.
• On Tuesday, December 2nd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 2,813 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.33, for a total transaction of $338,488.29.
• On Monday, December 1st, Austin Chandler Willis sold 468 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.46, for a total transaction of $56,375.28.
• On Monday, November 3rd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 2,700 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.52, for a total transaction of $341,604.00.
• On Monday, November 3rd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.52, for a total transaction of $430,168.00.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 5.0%

WLFC traded up $6.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $126.44. 30,821 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 69,688. The company has a market cap of $861.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.57 and a beta of 0.79. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a one year low of $114.01 and a one year high of $229.67. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $128.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 1.88.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.34 by ($0.09). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 17.79% and a return on equity of 20.58%. The company had revenue of $154.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th were issued a $0.40 dividend. This is an increase from Willis Lease Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, November 17th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.58%.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Millennium Management LLC raised its position in Willis Lease Finance by 1,498.3% in the third 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 period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,073,000. M3F Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.9% in the 3rd 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 purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,542,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in 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 valued at $5,752,000 after purchasing an additional 31,480 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance has an average rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation operates as a lessor and servicer of commercial aircraft and aircraft engines worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Leasing and Related Operations, and Spare Parts Sales. The Leasing and Related Operations segment engages in acquiring and leasing commercial aircraft, aircraft engines, and other aircraft equipment, as well as the purchase and resale of commercial aircraft engines and other aircraft equipment, and other related businesses.