Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Reaches New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $114.22 and last traded at $114.43, with a volume of 34096 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $119.76.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings downgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $131.72 and a 200-day moving average of $139.28. The stock has a market cap of $783.95 million, a PE ratio of 6.84 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53, a current ratio of 5.98 and a quick ratio of 5.55.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.34 by ($0.09). Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 21.75% and a net margin of 18.77%.The business had revenue of $154.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This is an increase from Willis Lease Finance’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.58%.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.52, for a total transaction of $430,168.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 182,663 shares in the company, valued at $23,110,522.76. This trade represents a 1.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,200 shares of company stock worth $1,657,187. 53.85% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLFC. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1,498.3% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 66,008 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,049,000 after acquiring an additional 61,878 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 109.8% during the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 6,774 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $929,000 after purchasing an additional 3,545 shares in the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the third quarter valued at $510,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 44,270 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $6,069,000 after buying an additional 1,525 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation operates as a lessor and servicer of commercial aircraft and aircraft engines worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Leasing and Related Operations, and Spare Parts Sales. The Leasing and Related Operations segment engages in acquiring and leasing commercial aircraft, aircraft engines, and other aircraft equipment, as well as the purchase and resale of commercial aircraft engines and other aircraft equipment, and other related businesses.