Denali Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Position in Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC

Key Points

• Denali Advisors LLC sharply increased its stake in Willis Lease Finance, boosting holdings by 780.3% in the fourth quarter to 33,452 shares, worth about $4.54 million.
• Willis Lease Finance reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.03 beating estimates by $1.01 and revenue of $194.35 million topping forecasts.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, while insiders including the CEO and chairman sold shares in recent transactions.

Denali Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 780.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,452 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 29,652 shares during the quarter. Denali Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.49% of Willis Lease Finance worth $4,537,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WLFC. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 14,452 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $563,000. Creative Planning bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 951.4% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,346 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,904,000 after acquiring an additional 24,745 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total transaction of $590,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,842,086.25. This represents a 1.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total value of $1,654,465.43. Following the sale, the chairman owned 933,234 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $158,733,771.06. This trade represents a 1.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,397 shares of company stock valued at $3,333,181. 53.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WLFC shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday. Freedom Capital lowered Willis Lease Finance from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Willis Lease Finance has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

WLFC opened at $222.72 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a PE ratio of 13.53 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $188.27 and a 200-day moving average of $163.76. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52-week low of $114.01 and a 52-week high of $239.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 2.43.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $1.01. The company had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 15.72%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 11th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is 9.72%.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation NASDAQ: WLFC is an independent global provider of aircraft engine leasing, trading and aftermarket services. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in the United States, the company specializes in offering short- and long-term operating leases for jet engines and auxiliary power units. Through its broad engine portfolio, Willis Lease Finance supports a wide range of commercial aircraft across various operators, including major airlines, regional carriers and other leasing companies.

In addition to leasing solutions, Willis Lease Finance offers comprehensive engine trading and asset management services.

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