Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. increased its position in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 9.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 32,643 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,867 shares during the quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. owned about 0.49% of Willis Lease Finance worth $5,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 27.4% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 298 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter worth about $104,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 16.9% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 780.8% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 687 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rangeley Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the company's 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 in the company, valued at $27,467,301.81. This represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 11,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.95, for a total value of $1,529,437.50. Following the sale, the chairman owned 987,046 shares in the company, valued at approximately $134,188,903.70. This represents a 1.13% 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.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

WLFC stock traded up $0.77 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $137.03. 146,491 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 55,144. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $140.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $166.94. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 52-week low of $67.58 and a 52-week high of $235.43. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.39 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.61.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $157.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered 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.