Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) President Brian Richard Hole Sells 2,807 Shares

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) President Brian Richard Hole sold 2,807 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.49, for a total transaction of $369,092.43. Following the transaction, the president now owns 110,948 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,588,552.52. This trade represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Brian Richard Hole also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, May 27th, Brian Richard Hole sold 2,893 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.72, for a total transaction of $386,851.96.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ WLFC traded up $3.72 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $134.77. 51,314 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 37,801. The company’s fifty day moving average is $146.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $180.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.16. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.63 and a fifty-two week high of $235.43. The stock has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 9.55 and a beta of 1.13.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.41 by ($2.20). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.56% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The company had revenue of $157.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.85%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. M3F Inc. grew its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.0% in the first quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 534,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $84,397,000 after purchasing an additional 30,032 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 511,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $106,154,000 after purchasing an additional 17,500 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 152,536 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $24,096,000 after purchasing an additional 10,436 shares during the period. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 96,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $15,307,000 after buying an additional 18,519 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Willis Lease Finance by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,628 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $7,187,000 after buying an additional 1,620 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

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.