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

Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,970 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,100 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $29,493,000 after acquiring an additional 19,078 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 511,472 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $106,154,000 after purchasing an additional 17,500 shares in the last quarter. Apis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at $1,930,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,819,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 205,266.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,161 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $973,000 after acquiring an additional 6,158 shares in the last quarter. 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 Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC traded up $1.23 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $140.38. The company had a trading volume of 43,151 shares, compared to its average volume of 59,818. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a one year low of $73.80 and a one year high of $235.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.62 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $139.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $162.54.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Willis Lease Finance's payout ratio is 6.85%.

Insider Activity

In other Willis Lease Finance news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 11,250 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.95, for a total transaction of $1,529,437.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 987,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at $134,188,903.70. The trade was a 1.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 7,295 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the president directly 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 39,895 shares of company stock worth $5,488,698 over the last 90 days. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Willis Lease Finance 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.