Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis Sells 31,400 Shares

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 31,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total transaction of $1,819,002.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 2,612,443 shares in the company, valued at $151,338,822.99. This trade represents a 1.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $55.09 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1 year low of $38.00 and a 1 year high of $81.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.82 and a beta of 0.74.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WLFC. Freedom Capital raised Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings cut 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 price target on Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Lease Finance has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Denali Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 780.3% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 33,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,537,000 after acquiring an additional 29,652 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $1,462,000. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 5,153 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $699,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 102,259 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,870,000 after acquiring an additional 3,793 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $133,000. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

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.