Austin Chandler Willis Sells 46,656 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 46,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.90, for a total value of $1,161,578.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,352,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,676,824.72. This represents a 3.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Down 7.5%

NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $221.88 on Wednesday. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a twelve month low of $114.01 and a twelve month high of $244.62. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.01. The company has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.48 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25.

Shares of Willis Lease Finance are set to split before the market opens on Monday, July 20th. The 3-1 split was announced on Tuesday, June 23rd. The newly issued shares will be payable to shareholders after the closing bell on Monday, July 6th.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 15.72% and a return on equity of 19.22%.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were issued a $0.0444 dividend. This represents a $0.18 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is presently 9.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WLFC shares. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in 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 during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.