Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $172.24 and traded as high as $179.76. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $177.48, with a volume of 135,118 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WLFC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Freedom Capital cut Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 3.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $190.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $172.24. The company has a market capitalization of $1.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.78 and a beta of 0.76.

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

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 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 9.72%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total transaction of $1,654,465.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 933,234 shares in the company, valued at $158,733,771.06. This represents a 1.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total transaction of $590,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 19,397 shares of company stock worth $3,333,181 in the last ninety days. 53.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at about $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth about $109,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.