Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis Sells 3,400 Shares

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.52, for a total transaction of $430,168.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 182,663 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,110,522.76. The trade was a 1.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

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

• 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 Tuesday, September 2nd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.15, for a total transaction of $493,510.00.
• On Tuesday, September 2nd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 2,700 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.15, for a total value of $391,905.00.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 1.6%

NASDAQ WLFC traded up $1.90 on Wednesday, reaching $120.51. 74,297 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 71,466. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12 month low of $115.21 and a 12 month high of $235.43. The company has a market cap of $820.67 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.16 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $138.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53, a quick ratio of 5.55 and a current ratio of 5.98.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $3.25 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.34 by ($0.09). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.77% and a return on equity of 21.75%. The firm had revenue of $183.39 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This is a boost from Willis Lease Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 5.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. M3F Inc. grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 566,941 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $80,948,000 after purchasing an additional 32,680 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 152,536 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $24,096,000 after buying an additional 10,436 shares during the period. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 23.6% during the first quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 96,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $15,307,000 after buying an additional 18,519 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 16.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 82,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,796,000 after acquiring an additional 11,745 shares during the period. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth $8,073,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

About Willis Lease Finance

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.