GAMMA Investing LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 205,266.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,161 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,158 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned about 0.09% of Willis Lease Finance worth $973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WLFC. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 15.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,100 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,493,000 after purchasing an additional 19,078 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 30,118 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $6,251,000 after buying an additional 1,687 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,188 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,813,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palisades Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC now owns 20,928 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,344,000 after buying an additional 1,808 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded 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

WLFC stock traded down $2.26 on Friday, reaching $139.66. The company had a trading volume of 179,863 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,106. The company's fifty day moving average is $141.01 and its 200 day moving average is $173.05. The company has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.57 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.17. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1 year low of $58.63 and a 1 year high of $235.43.

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

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.72%. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 11,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.95, for a total value of $1,529,437.50. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 987,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $134,188,903.70. This trade represents a 1.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,026 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total value of $927,297.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 79,270 shares in the company, valued at $14,625,315. The trade was a 5.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 39,165 shares of company stock valued at $5,681,512 in the last quarter. 53.85% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.