Insider Selling: Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Sells 4,270 Shares of Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 4,270 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.17, for a total value of $735,165.90. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 942,961 shares in the company, valued at approximately $162,349,595.37. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $168.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.08, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 3.86. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52-week low of $114.01 and a 52-week high of $207.05. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $186.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $153.10. The firm has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 10.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. M3F Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.9% in the third quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 606,026 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $83,080,000 after purchasing an additional 39,085 shares during the last quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 102,259 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,870,000 after buying an additional 3,793 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 9.8% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 101,386 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,899,000 after buying an additional 9,052 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 15.0% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 92,194 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $12,639,000 after buying an additional 12,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 16.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 82,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,796,000 after buying an additional 11,745 shares in the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by 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.