Insider Selling: Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Sells 9,727 Shares of Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total value of $1,654,465.43. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 933,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $158,733,771.06. This represents a 1.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Willis Lease Finance stock opened at $168.53 on Friday. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a twelve month low of $114.01 and a twelve month high of $207.05. The company has a quick ratio of 3.52, a current ratio of 3.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.08. The company has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $186.48 and its 200 day moving average is $153.10.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $193.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,283,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter worth $563,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 16.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 82,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,796,000 after purchasing an additional 11,745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 32.7% in 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold”.

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.