Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Price Up 4.5% – Here’s Why

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s share price traded up 4.5% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $189.04 and last traded at $188.06. 29,228 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 71% from the average session volume of 17,129 shares. The stock had previously closed at $180.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $126.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.29.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The transportation company reported $6.21 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $151.12 million for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 18.16%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 2,528 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.08, for a total transaction of $230,250.24. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,047,296.24. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Willis Lease Finance news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 2,528 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.08, for a total transaction of $230,250.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 22,478 shares in the company, valued at $2,047,296.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 8,670 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.17, for a total value of $946,503.90. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 933,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,897,094.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 38,903 shares of company stock worth $4,123,692. 57.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,204,000 after buying an additional 865 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,095,000 after acquiring an additional 1,575 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,732 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation operates as a lessor and servicer of commercial aircraft and aircraft engines worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Leasing and Related Operations, and Spare Parts Sales. The Leasing and Related Operations segment engages in acquiring and leasing commercial aircraft, aircraft engines, and other aircraft equipment, as well as the purchase and resale of commercial aircraft engines and other aircraft equipment, and other related businesses.