Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $240.03 and last traded at $239.5090, with a volume of 99204 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $226.51.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WLFC has been the topic of several research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Freedom Capital cut shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The company has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $197.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $184.17.

Willis Lease Finance shares are going to split on Monday, July 20th. The 3-1 split was announced on Tuesday, June 23rd. The newly minted shares will be payable to shareholders after the market closes on Monday, July 6th.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $1.01. The firm had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 15.72%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.72%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 3.0% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,696 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,144 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,783,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.