Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Shares Cross Above 200-Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $188.98 and traded as high as $217.52. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $206.96, with a volume of 114,931 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WLFC shares. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Freedom Capital lowered Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 4.6%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 12.57 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25, a current ratio of 2.43 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The company’s fifty day moving average is $201.12 and its 200-day moving average is $188.98.

Shares of Willis Lease Finance are going to split on Monday, July 20th. The 3-1 split was announced on Tuesday, June 23rd. The newly created shares will be payable to shareholders after the closing bell on Friday, July 17th.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $1.01. The company had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 9.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 5,184 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.07, for a total value of $1,161,578.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 150,296 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,676,824.72. The trade was a 3.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 102,259 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $13,870,000 after acquiring an additional 3,793 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 9.8% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 101,386 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $13,899,000 after purchasing an additional 9,052 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 15.0% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 92,194 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $12,639,000 after purchasing an additional 12,000 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 73,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,965,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1,498.3% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 66,008 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,049,000 after purchasing an additional 61,878 shares during 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.