Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Sells $735,345.00 in Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 13,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.47, for a total transaction of $735,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 2,535,843 shares in the company, valued at $138,127,368.21. This trade represents a 0.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

WLFC stock opened at $54.91 on Thursday. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52-week low of $38.00 and a 52-week high of $81.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.63. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.36. The company has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.77 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth about $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares during the period. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $109,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

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.