Scott Flaherty Sells 8,326 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) EVP Scott Flaherty sold 8,326 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.56, for a total value of $445,940.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 214,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,479,193.44. This trade represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Willis Lease Finance stock traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $54.31. 150,747 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 268,881. The stock has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.72. 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 Corporation has a 52-week low of $38.00 and a 52-week high of $81.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $64.17 and its 200 day moving average is $64.22.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $192.83 million during 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%. Analysts predict that Willis Lease Finance Corporation will post 5.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a $0.133 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.28%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group set a $71.00 price target on Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Freedom Capital raised Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Willis Lease Finance to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $80.00 target price on Willis Lease Finance and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WLFC. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth $68,932,000. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at $24,747,000. Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at $16,648,176,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at $10,423,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth $8,495,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation is an aviation services company that provides commercial aircraft engines, auxiliary power units and related equipment to airlines, aircraft operators and other aviation customers. The company’s leasing activities include short-term and long-term operating leases, as well as engine and equipment financing solutions designed to support fleet operations and maintenance planning.

In addition to leasing, Willis Lease Finance offers engine management, maintenance and asset management services.