Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Freedom Capital

Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

WLFC has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.00.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 3.7%

WLFC opened at $57.04 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. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $70.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.79. The company has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.31 and a beta of 0.74. Willis Lease Finance has a 1-year low of $38.00 and a 1-year high of $81.54.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 11.80%.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be given a $0.133 dividend. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.28%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,000 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total transaction of $1,100,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 435,888 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,968,025.92. This trade represents a 3.33% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WLFC. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the period. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $109,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.