Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Shares Pass Above 200-Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $152.67 and traded as high as $178.35. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $176.96, with a volume of 29,259 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.48 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $152.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.08, a current ratio of 3.86 and a quick ratio of 3.52.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.38 by ($1.86). Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 15.38%.The business had revenue of $193.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.38%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.74, for a total value of $631,516.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 184,746 shares in the company, valued at $34,314,722.04. This trade represents a 1.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,283,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter valued at approximately $563,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 16.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 82,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,796,000 after acquiring an additional 11,745 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 32.7% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 820 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.