EntryPoint Capital LLC Takes $364,000 Position in Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC

Key Points

• EntryPoint Capital LLC has acquired 2,303 shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation, valued at approximately $364,000, as noted in its recent SEC filing.
• Insider transactions include President Brian Richard Hole selling 9,142 shares and Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis selling 30,000 shares, reflecting an overall decrease in ownership by these executives.
• Willis Lease Finance recently reported strong quarterly earnings, with an EPS of $8.43 that exceeded analysts’ expectations by $5.86.

EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 2,303 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $364,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WLFC. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 23.6% during the first quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 96,900 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $15,307,000 after buying an additional 18,519 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 511,472 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $106,154,000 after purchasing an additional 17,500 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 152,536 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $24,096,000 after acquiring an additional 10,436 shares during the period. Apis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,930,000. Finally, Solidarity Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the first quarter worth approximately $1,122,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 9,142 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.13, for a total transaction of $1,372,488.46. Following the sale, the president owned 89,640 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,457,653.20. The trade was a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the firm's 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 completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 75,353 shares of company stock worth $11,059,005. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

Willis Lease Finance stock traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $152.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,871 shares, compared to its average volume of 76,190. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $144.43 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.00. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52 week low of $97.54 and a 52 week high of $235.43. The stock has a market cap of $1.04 billion, a PE ratio of 9.04 and a beta of 1.13. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $8.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.57 by $5.86. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 21.75% and a net margin of 18.77%.The firm had revenue of $195.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.95%.

Willis Lease Finance Profile

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.