Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Downgraded by Freedom Capital to Hold

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) was downgraded by analysts at Freedom Capital from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 5.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $225.47 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $188.27 and a 200-day moving average of $163.76. The firm has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.70 and a beta of 0.81. Willis Lease Finance has a twelve month low of $114.01 and a twelve month high of $239.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $1.01. The company had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 15.72% and a return on equity of 19.22%.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total transaction of $1,654,465.43. Following the sale, the chairman owned 933,234 shares in the company, valued at $158,733,771.06. The trade was a 1.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total transaction of $590,070.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares in the company, valued at $31,842,086.25. This represents a 1.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 19,397 shares of company stock valued at $3,333,181. Company insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WLFC. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1,498.3% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 66,008 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,049,000 after acquiring an additional 61,878 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at approximately $8,073,000. M3F Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.9% during the third quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 606,026 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $83,080,000 after acquiring an additional 39,085 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 31,480 shares during the period. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 780.3% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 33,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,537,000 after acquiring an additional 29,652 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.