Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Trading Up 6.7% – Time to Buy?

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s share price was up 6.7% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $220.00 and last traded at $219.12. Approximately 32,485 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 8% from the average daily volume of 35,474 shares. The stock had previously closed at $205.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 5.7 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.39 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $207.37 and its 200 day moving average is $150.19.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 7.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.19, for a total value of $1,000,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,955 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,005,241.45. The trade was a 6.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Rae Ann Mckeating sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $97,160.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,500 shares in the company, valued at $3,206,280. The trade was a 2.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,164,310 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WLFC. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 67,021 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,975,000 after purchasing an additional 1,886 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 7.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,926 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,941,000 after buying an additional 2,805 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 39.4% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 33,008 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $4,912,000 after buying an additional 9,326 shares during the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,136,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 173.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 22,990 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,421,000 after buying an additional 14,590 shares during the period. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.