Bridgeway Capital Management LLC Sells 8,160 Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC

Key Points

• Bridgeway Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 11.1%, selling 8,160 shares and owning approximately 0.85% of the company, valued at $10.33 million.
• Willis Lease Finance reported a strong earnings performance with an EPS of $8.43, significantly exceeding analysts' estimates of $2.57, and had a revenue of $195.50 million for the quarter.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25, with an annualized yield of 0.7%, reflecting a payout ratio of 5.95% as of the recent reporting period.

Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 11.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,405 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 8,160 shares during the quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.85% of Willis Lease Finance worth $10,332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WLFC. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,452 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,283,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Apis Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 112.9% in the first quarter. Apis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 19,800 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,128,000 after purchasing an additional 10,500 shares in the last quarter. M3F Inc. increased its position in Willis Lease Finance by 6.0% in the first quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 534,261 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $84,397,000 after purchasing an additional 30,032 shares during the last quarter. Resolute Capital Asset Partners LLC raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 127.5% during the first quarter. Resolute Capital Asset Partners LLC now owns 2,320 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the first quarter valued at $364,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total transaction of $483,034.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 196,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,467,301.81. This represents a 1.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 9,142 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.13, for a total value of $1,372,488.46. Following the transaction, the president owned 89,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,457,653.20. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 51,903 shares of company stock valued at $7,868,228. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ WLFC opened at $144.11 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $981.39 million, a PE ratio of 8.57 and a beta of 1.14. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12 month low of $97.54 and a 12 month high of $235.43. The company's 50-day moving average price is $145.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.30. The company has a current ratio of 5.98, a quick ratio of 5.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $8.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $195.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance's payout ratio is currently 5.95%.

About Willis Lease Finance

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.

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