Austin Chandler Willis Sells 15,000 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Willis sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.90, for a total transaction of $808,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 420,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,685,863.20. The trade was a 3.44% 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 link.

Austin Chandler Willis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, August 3rd, Austin Willis sold 15,000 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total transaction of $1,100,100.00.
• On Wednesday, July 1st, Austin Willis sold 15,552 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total transaction of $1,161,578.88.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

WLFC stock opened at $56.22 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $66.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.79. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1 year low of $38.00 and a 1 year high of $81.54. The stock has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a PE ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 0.72. 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 (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 13.28%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% during 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 last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position 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 worth $95,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.