Austin Chandler Willis Sells 3,400 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total value of $590,070.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,842,086.25. This represents a 1.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Austin Chandler Willis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, February 2nd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.74, for a total value of $631,516.00.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Shares of WLFC stock remained flat at $175.89 during trading hours on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 54,970 shares, compared to its average volume of 63,257. The company has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.76. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12-month low of $114.01 and a 12-month high of $207.05. The business’s 50 day moving average is $185.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.08, a current ratio of 3.86 and a quick ratio of 3.52.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.38 by ($1.86). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 15.38% and a return on equity of 18.00%. The business had revenue of $193.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 10.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter worth $349,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 24.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,199 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $705,000 after buying an additional 1,029 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,783,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $354,000. Finally, Boothbay Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 94.7% in the 4th quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 12,042 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,633,000 after buying an additional 5,858 shares during the period. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.