Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Shares Acquired by Four Tree Island Advisory LLC

Four Tree Island Advisory LLC grew its position in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 23.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 96,900 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,519 shares during the period. Willis Lease Finance accounts for 10.7% of Four Tree Island Advisory LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC owned about 1.26% of Willis Lease Finance worth $15,307,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 27.4% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 298 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,622 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 5,783 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,200,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 643 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,188 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,813,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 11,250 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.95, for a total transaction of $1,529,437.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 987,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $134,188,903.70. The trade was a 1.13% decrease in their position. The sale 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 Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total transaction of $483,034.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 196,181 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,467,301.81. The trade was a 1.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 39,895 shares of company stock valued at $5,488,698 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 53.85% of the company's stock.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC traded up $0.80 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $142.06. 11,431 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 78,059. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $84.28 and a fifty-two week high of $235.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $139.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $161.23. The firm has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 9.72 and a beta of 1.04.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by ($2.20). The business had revenue of $157.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 17.21% and a return on equity of 19.69%.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.85%.

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 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.