Charles Iv Willis Sells 11,400 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 11,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.51, for a total transaction of $621,414.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 2,507,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $136,697,070.93. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $53.42 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12 month low of $38.00 and a 12 month high of $81.54. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $68.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.19. The company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 0.74.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS 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 company had revenue of $194.02 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLFC. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $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 worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at $109,000. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on WLFC. UBS Group set a $71.00 price target on Willis Lease Finance in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of 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 given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Lease Finance has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $71.00.

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.