10,780 Shares in Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC Purchased by LSV Asset Management

Key Points

• LSV Asset Management opened a new position in Willis Lease Finance, buying 10,780 shares worth about $1.46 million in the fourth quarter and holding roughly 0.16% of the company.
• Willis Lease Finance recently posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.03 topping estimates by $1.01 and revenue of $194.35 million exceeding expectations.
• The stock has also seen notable ownership shifts and insider activity, including recent purchases by several institutions while top executives sold shares over the past few months; analysts currently rate WLFC a Moderate Buy.

LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 10,780 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,462,000. LSV Asset Management owned about 0.16% of Willis Lease Finance as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WLFC. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,452 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $563,000. Creative Planning acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 951.4% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,346 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,904,000 after acquiring an additional 24,745 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on WLFC. Freedom Capital cut Willis Lease Finance from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Willis Lease Finance from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 0.2%

WLFC stock opened at $185.32 on Thursday. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1-year low of $114.01 and a 1-year high of $239.44. The firm has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.26 and a beta of 0.81. The business's 50 day moving average is $190.06 and its 200-day moving average is $170.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $194.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is 9.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Lease Finance news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total value of $1,654,465.43. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 933,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $158,733,771.06. This trade represents a 1.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total value of $590,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares in the company, valued at $31,842,086.25. The trade was a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,397 shares of company stock worth $3,333,181. 53.32% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Willis Lease Finance 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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