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 two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $178.36 and traded as high as $210.07. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $208.97, with a volume of 158,776 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WLFC. Freedom Capital downgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. One research 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 a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.70 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $194.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $178.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.43.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $194.35 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.72%.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the company’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 transaction of $1,654,465.43. Following the sale, the chairman owned 933,234 shares in the company, valued at $158,733,771.06. This represents a 1.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total value of $590,070.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,842,086.25. This represents a 1.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 19,397 shares of company stock worth $3,333,181 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of 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 stake in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth about $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the period. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at about $109,000. 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.