Nuveen LLC Buys Shares of 5,783 Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC

Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,783 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $914,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Willis Lease Finance as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter worth about $216,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 48.7% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,949 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $308,000 after buying an additional 638 shares in the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the first quarter worth about $311,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter worth about $312,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 9,142 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.13, for a total value of $1,372,488.46. Following the transaction, the president directly owned 89,640 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,457,653.20. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 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 approximately $27,467,301.81. This represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 58,003 shares of company stock worth $8,753,643. 53.85% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 0.6%

WLFC stock traded up $0.83 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $149.03. 30,818 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 74,924. The company has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of 8.86 and a beta of 1.14. 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 Corporation has a twelve month low of $97.54 and a twelve month high of $235.43. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $150.97.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $5.86. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.77% and a return on equity of 21.75%. The company had revenue of $195.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $134.00 million.

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 $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis 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%.

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.