Austin Chandler Willis Sells 5,184 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 5,184 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.07, for a total transaction of $1,161,578.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 150,296 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,676,824.72. This trade represents a 3.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 6.1%

WLFC stock traded up $13.75 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $240.26. The stock had a trading volume of 206,320 shares, compared to its average volume of 92,304. The firm has a market cap of $1.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.60 and a beta of 0.72. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1-year low of $114.01 and a 1-year high of $244.62. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $197.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $184.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25.

Willis Lease Finance’s stock is scheduled to split before the market opens on Monday, July 20th. The 3-1 split was announced on Tuesday, June 23rd. The newly issued shares will be issued to shareholders after the market closes on Monday, July 6th.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $1.01. The firm had revenue of $194.35 million for 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%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 9.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on WLFC. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth $109,000. 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.