Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) President Sells $90,102.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Brian Richard Hole, President of Willis Lease Finance Corporation, sold a total of 600 shares at an average price of $150.17, reducing his ownership by 0.60% to approximately 98,782 shares.
• Willis Lease Finance reported a remarkable increase in earnings per share, with a reported $8.43 for the quarter, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.57.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 to be paid on August 21st, representing an annualized yield of 0.7% and a payout ratio of 5.95%.

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) President Brian Richard Hole sold 600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.17, for a total value of $90,102.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 98,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,834,092.94. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Brian Richard Hole also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, August 11th, Brian Richard Hole sold 9,142 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.13, for a total value of $1,372,488.46.
• On Thursday, August 7th, Brian Richard Hole sold 120 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $18,000.00.
• On Wednesday, August 6th, Brian Richard Hole sold 1,296 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.51, for a total value of $195,060.96.
• On Friday, June 27th, Brian Richard Hole sold 7,295 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.16, for a total value of $1,058,942.20.
• On Tuesday, May 27th, Brian Richard Hole sold 2,893 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.72, for a total value of $386,851.96.
• On Friday, May 23rd, Brian Richard Hole sold 2,807 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.49, for a total transaction of $369,092.43.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of WLFC stock traded up $4.18 on Wednesday, reaching $164.36. 13,753 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 77,417. The company has a current ratio of 5.98, a quick ratio of 5.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53. The business's 50 day moving average price is $142.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $155.72. The company has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.77 and a beta of 1.13. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a twelve month low of $92.03 and a twelve month high of $235.43.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $8.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $5.86. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.77% and a return on equity of 21.75%. The company had revenue of $195.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is currently 5.95%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. M3F Inc. boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 6.0% in the first quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 534,261 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $84,397,000 after acquiring an additional 30,032 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 511,472 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $106,154,000 after buying an additional 17,500 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 152,536 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $24,096,000 after buying an additional 10,436 shares during the period. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 23.6% during the first quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 96,900 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $15,307,000 after buying an additional 18,519 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 16.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 82,607 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $11,796,000 after buying an additional 11,745 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation operates as a lessor and servicer of commercial aircraft and aircraft engines worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Leasing and Related Operations, and Spare Parts Sales. The Leasing and Related Operations segment engages in acquiring and leasing commercial aircraft, aircraft engines, and other aircraft equipment, as well as the purchase and resale of commercial aircraft engines and other aircraft equipment, and other related businesses.