California State Teachers Retirement System Boosts Position in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)

California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 1,213.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,759 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,549 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System's holdings in Willis Lease Finance were worth $573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 27.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 298 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,622 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 5,783 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,200,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 643 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $133,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.9% during 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 acquiring an additional 198 shares during the period. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,026 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total transaction of $927,297.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 79,270 shares in the company, valued at $14,625,315. The trade was a 5.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 8,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.07, for a total value of $1,208,112.50. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 998,296 shares in the company, valued at approximately $137,834,728.72. The trade was a 0.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 39,165 shares of company stock worth $5,681,512. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 1.1%

NASDAQ:WLFC traded down $1.60 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $145.71. 134,016 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 45,713. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 52 week low of $58.63 and a 52 week high of $235.43. The firm's 50 day moving average is $140.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $175.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.33 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by ($2.20). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.56% and a return on equity of 20.62%. The firm had revenue of $157.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.