Copeland Capital Management LLC Acquires 486,959 Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC

Key Points

• Copeland Capital Management increased its Willis Lease Finance stake by 533.8% in the third quarter, acquiring 486,959 shares and bringing its ownership to 578,191 shares, or approximately 2.74% of the company. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 93.70% of WLFC.
• Analyst views remain generally positive, with Willis Lease Finance receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $75.50, despite individual ratings ranging from Hold to Strong Buy.
• WLFC shares opened at $39.19, near their 12-month low, after recently trading below their 50- and 200-day moving averages. The company exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, but reduced its quarterly dividend to $0.1330 per share.

Copeland Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 533.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 578,191 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 486,959 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned about 2.74% of Willis Lease Finance worth $28,858,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at about $68,932,000. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth about $24,747,000. Philadelphia Financial Management of San Francisco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at about $16,648,176,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at about $10,423,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at about $8,495,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Freedom Capital upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $80.00 target price on Willis Lease Finance and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Willis Lease Finance to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Lease Finance has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CEO Austin Willis sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.90, for a total value of $808,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 420,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,685,863.20. The trade was a 3.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Scott Flaherty sold 18,695 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.57, for a total value of $1,020,186.15. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 222,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,150,010.50. This represents a 7.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 211,700 shares of company stock worth $12,037,208. Insiders own 53.32% of the company's stock.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of WLFC stock opened at $39.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $53.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.61. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a twelve month low of $38.00 and a twelve month high of $81.54. The company has a market capitalization of $828.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.39, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $192.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 11.80% and a return on equity of 14.11%. Research analysts forecast that Willis Lease Finance Corporation will post 5.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a $0.1330 dividend. This represents a $0.53 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 11th. This is a decrease from Willis Lease Finance's previous quarterly dividend of $0.1333. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.28%.

Willis Lease Finance Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation NASDAQ: WLFC is an aviation services company that provides commercial aircraft engines, auxiliary power units, and related equipment to airlines, aircraft operators, maintenance providers, and other aviation customers. Its leasing activities include short- and long-term engine leasing, spare engine programs, and the financing and management of aviation assets.

The company also provides engine and component services, including maintenance, repair, and overhaul support; engine refurbishment and modification; parts sales; and technical and asset-management services.

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