Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Raised to "Hold" at Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Willis Lease Finance to “Hold.” Analyst views remain mixed, but the broader consensus is “Moderate Buy” with a $75.50 price target.
• Willis Lease Finance reported quarterly EPS of $1.31, beating estimates of $0.90, while revenue of $192.83 million exceeded the $175 million consensus forecast.
• Company insiders sold about $11.6 million of shares over the past 90 days, although insiders still own 53.32% of the company; institutional investors hold 93.70%.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday, Zacks reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on WLFC. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $80.00 price target on shares of Willis Lease Finance and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.50.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

Willis Lease Finance stock opened at $56.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.09, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.72. Willis Lease Finance has a one year low of $38.00 and a one year high of $81.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $65.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.49.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.41. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 14.11% and a net margin of 11.80%.The company had revenue of $192.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Willis Lease Finance will post 5.15 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Charles Willis, IV sold 15,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.11, for a total transaction of $859,716.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 2,492,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $137,342,000.73. This represents a 0.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Austin Willis sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.90, for a total value of $808,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 420,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,685,863.20. This represents a 3.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 197,252 shares of company stock valued at $11,565,300. Corporate insiders own 53.32% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% in 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 period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake 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 during the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at about $109,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.

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