Charles Iv Willis Sells 16,300 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 16,300 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.98, for a total value of $879,874.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 2,549,343 shares in the company, valued at $137,613,535.14. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 1.0%

NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $54.62 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.70 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $69.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.42. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12-month low of $38.00 and a 12-month high of $81.54.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 11.80%.The firm had revenue of $194.02 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a dividend of $0.133 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.28%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLFC. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 1.8% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,283,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position 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 valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $563,000. Creative Planning purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $223,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 951.4% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,346 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,904,000 after acquiring an additional 24,745 shares in the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.