Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $65.03 and traded as high as $70.91. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $70.47, with a volume of 275,622 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WLFC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Freedom Capital cut Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $69.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.18. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62 and a beta of 0.72.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.01 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $194.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 15.72%.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,552 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total transaction of $1,161,578.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 450,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,676,824.72. This represents a 3.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carlson Capital L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter worth about $528,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 34.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 53,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,110,000 after acquiring an additional 13,731 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter valued at about $293,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 39.3% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corsair Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. Corsair Capital Management L.P. now owns 18,002 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,065,000 after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.