Charles Iv Willis Sells 31,400 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 31,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.93, for a total value of $1,819,002.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 2,612,443 shares in the company, valued at $151,338,822.99. The trade was a 1.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 1.7%

Willis Lease Finance stock opened at $54.18 on Friday. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52-week low of $38.00 and a 52-week high of $81.54. The company has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.59 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.60.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 11.80% and a return on equity of 14.11%.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.133 per share. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.28%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Freedom Capital raised shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on Willis Lease Finance in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter worth approximately $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth $109,000. 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.