Willis Lease Finance’s (WLFC) Buy (B-) Rating Reiterated at Weiss Ratings

Weiss Ratings reaffirmed their buy (b-) rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) in a report published on Wednesday morning,Weiss Ratings reports.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 3.6%

Shares of Willis Lease Finance stock opened at $129.07 on Wednesday. Willis Lease Finance has a 12-month low of $124.90 and a 12-month high of $235.43. The company has a market cap of $878.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.67 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 5.98, a quick ratio of 5.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $146.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $143.52.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $8.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.57 by $5.86. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.77% and a return on equity of 21.75%. The firm had revenue of $195.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5.95%.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 9,142 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.13, for a total value of $1,372,488.46. Following the sale, the president directly owned 89,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,457,653.20. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.02, for a total transaction of $4,650,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 957,046 shares in the company, valued at $148,361,270.92. This represents a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,258 shares of company stock valued at $7,211,666 over the last three months. 53.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WLFC. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 22.5% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 365 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 3.0% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,696 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 32.7% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 820 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 1.2% during the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 19,744 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,819,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.