Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) EVP Sells $1,020,186.15 in Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) EVP Scott Flaherty sold 18,695 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.57, for a total value of $1,020,186.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 222,650 shares in the company, valued at $12,150,010.50. This represents a 7.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Willis Lease Finance stock opened at $54.74 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $63.39 and its 200 day moving average is $64.04. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a one year low of $38.00 and a one year high of $81.54. The firm has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.31.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $192.83 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Willis Lease Finance Corporation will post 5.15 EPS for the current year.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Willis Lease Finance and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. 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. Zacks Research upgraded Willis Lease Finance to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.50.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. LSV Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter worth about $1,462,000. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at about $24,747,000. Carlson Capital L.P. bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter valued at about $528,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 34.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 53,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,110,000 after purchasing an additional 13,731 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the 1st quarter valued at about $293,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation is an aviation services company that provides commercial aircraft engines, auxiliary power units and related equipment to airlines, aircraft operators and other aviation customers. The company’s leasing activities include short-term and long-term operating leases, as well as engine and equipment financing solutions designed to support fleet operations and maintenance planning.

In addition to leasing, Willis Lease Finance offers engine management, maintenance and asset management services.