Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) EVP Scott Flaherty Sells 18,695 Shares of Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) EVP Scott Flaherty sold 18,695 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.57, for a total transaction of $1,020,186.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 222,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,150,010.50. This represents a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $54.31 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1 year low of $38.00 and a 1 year high of $81.54. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.22. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.72.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its 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. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 11.80%.The firm had revenue of $192.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Willis Lease Finance Corporation will post 5.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 given a $0.133 dividend. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 13.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position 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 worth $555,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares during the period. Navellier & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at approximately $229,000. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter valued at $220,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at $321,000. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $343,000. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

About Willis Lease Finance

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.