Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $169.61 and traded as high as $190.62. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $185.62, with a volume of 59,304 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WLFC shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Freedom Capital cut shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $189.70 and a 200 day moving average of $169.61. The company has a market cap of $1.31 billion, a PE ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 2.00.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $1.01. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 15.72%.The company had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total transaction of $590,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,842,086.25. This trade represents a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total value of $1,654,465.43. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 933,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $158,733,771.06. This represents a 1.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 19,397 shares of company stock valued at $3,333,181 in the last three months. Insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.8% during the first 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. increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% during 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 bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the first quarter valued at $563,000. Creative Planning bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at $223,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 951.4% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,346 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,904,000 after acquiring an additional 24,745 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.