Empowered Funds LLC Sells 3,666 Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC has reduced its stake in Willis Lease Finance Corporation to $4.89 million, owning 30,962 shares after selling 3,666 shares in the first quarter.
• Willis Lease Finance stock increased by 2.4%, with a market cap of $1.03 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.97.
• The company reported an impressive quarterly earnings of $8.43 EPS, significantly exceeding analyst estimates, along with a recently declared quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share.

Empowered Funds LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 10.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,962 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 3,666 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.40% of Willis Lease Finance worth $4,891,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 16.9% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at $897,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter worth about $312,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 205,266.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,161 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $973,000 after purchasing an additional 6,158 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 68.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,324 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $482,000 after purchasing an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 0.5%

WLFC stock traded down $0.79 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $147.74. The company had a trading volume of 25,606 shares, compared to its average volume of 73,631. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $146.51 and a 200-day moving average price of $148.28. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12 month low of $119.93 and a 12 month high of $235.43. The company has a quick ratio of 5.55, a current ratio of 5.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.78 and a beta of 1.14.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $8.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $5.86. The business had revenue of $195.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $134.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 21.75% and a net margin of 18.77%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.02, for a total value of $4,650,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 957,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at $148,361,270.92. This represents a 3.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total value of $483,034.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 196,181 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,467,301.81. This trade represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 58,003 shares of company stock worth $8,753,643 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 57.02% of the company's stock.

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.