Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis Sells 27,500 Shares of Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 27,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.49, for a total transaction of $1,580,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 2,584,943 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $148,608,373.07. This represents a 1.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Shares of WLFC stock opened at $55.09 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $70.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.63. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1 year low of $38.00 and a 1 year high of $81.54. The firm has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.82 and a beta of 0.74.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.41. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 11.80%.The company had revenue of $194.02 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a $0.133 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 13.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WLFC. Freedom Capital raised Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $71.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter worth about $563,000. Creative Planning acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 951.4% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,346 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,904,000 after buying an additional 24,745 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.