Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis Sells 15,600 Shares of Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 15,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.11, for a total transaction of $859,716.00. Following the sale, the chairman owned 2,492,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $137,342,000.73. This represents a 0.62% 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 Up 0.4%

Shares of Willis Lease Finance stock opened at $55.11 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of 13.82 and a beta of 0.74. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52-week low of $38.00 and a 52-week high of $81.54. 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 (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 11.80% and a return on equity of 14.11%.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a dividend of $0.133 per share. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% in the 1st 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 period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,696 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,144 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,783,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. 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.