Navellier & Associates Inc. Sells 2,863 Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Key Points

• Navellier & Associates Inc. has reduced its holdings in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) by 41.6%, now owning 4,027 shares valued at approximately $629,000.
• Other investors, including GAMMA Investing LLC and Deutsche Bank AG, have significantly increased their stakes in WLFC during recent quarters, with institutional investors holding 93.70% of the stock.
• Willis Lease Finance reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.21, missing the consensus estimate of $4.41, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share.

Navellier & Associates Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 41.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,027 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 2,863 shares during the quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. owned 0.05% of Willis Lease Finance worth $629,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 27.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 298 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted 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 boosted 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 raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Finally, Palisades Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.4% during the first quarter. Palisades Investment Partners LLC now owns 21,224 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,353,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares during the period. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC traded up $2.30 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $142.53. 11,230 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 77,404. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $85.05 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 $139.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.58. The firm has a market cap of $1.09 billion, a PE ratio of 9.76 and a beta of 1.04.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Lease Finance news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 7,295 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.16, for a total value of $1,058,942.20. Following the sale, the president directly owned 100,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,626,321.60. The trade was a 6.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total transaction of $483,034.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 196,181 shares in the company, valued at $27,467,301.81. The trade was a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 39,895 shares of company stock worth $5,488,698 over the last ninety days. Company 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 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.