Alps Advisors Inc. Invests $311,000 in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,970 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WLFC. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,188 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,813,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at $1,204,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at $1,819,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at $104,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,100 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,493,000 after purchasing an additional 19,078 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC traded down $2.00 during trading on Friday, reaching $139.15. 54,597 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 59,750. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12 month low of $73.80 and a 12 month high of $235.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $139.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $163.19. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95. The firm has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a PE ratio of 9.53 and a beta of 1.04.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.41 by ($2.20). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 17.21% and a return on equity of 19.69%. The business had revenue of $157.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total value of $483,034.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 196,181 shares in the company, valued at $27,467,301.81. This trade represents a 1.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 7,295 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.16, for a total value of $1,058,942.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 100,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,626,321.60. This represents a 6.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 39,895 shares of company stock worth $5,488,698 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 53.85% of the company's stock.

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.