7,102 Shares in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Bought by Solidarity Wealth LLC

Key Points

• Solidarity Wealth LLC invested approximately $1.12 million in Willis Lease Finance Corporation during the first quarter, acquiring 7,102 shares, which accounted for about 0.09% of the company's stock.
• Recent changes in the company included a downgrade from "buy" to "hold" by Wall Street Zen on May 22nd, following a quarterly earnings miss where WLFC reported $2.21 EPS against expectations of $4.41.
• Two insiders, the CEO and President, sold a combined total of nearly $1.54 million in company stock over the previous months, indicating a decrease in their ownership stakes.

Solidarity Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 7,102 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,122,000. Solidarity Wealth LLC owned 0.09% of Willis Lease Finance at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position 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. increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,100 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,493,000 after acquiring an additional 19,078 shares during the period. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 23.6% in the first quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 96,900 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $15,307,000 after buying an additional 18,519 shares during the last quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 32,643 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $5,157,000 after acquiring an additional 2,867 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 5.9% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 1.6%

NASDAQ:WLFC traded down $2.21 on Thursday, reaching $139.90. The stock had a trading volume of 25,315 shares, compared to its average volume of 77,250. The company has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.61 and a beta of 1.04. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12-month low of $85.05 and a 12-month high of $235.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.61. The firm's fifty day moving average is $139.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.33.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $157.73 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.00 million.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 7,295 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.16, for a total value of $1,058,942.20. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 100,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,626,321.60. This represents a 6.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total value of $483,034.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 196,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 in the last three months. 53.85% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded 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.