Vanguard Group Inc. Increases Stake in Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance Corporation by 7.3% in Q1, owning approximately 152,536 shares valued at $24 million.
• Insider sales included Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis selling 30,000 shares for over $4.6 million, reducing his stake by 3.04%.
• Willis Lease Finance recently reported $8.43 EPS for the quarter, significantly outperforming analysts' expectations of $2.57, with revenues of $195.5 million.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 7.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 152,536 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,436 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 1.99% of Willis Lease Finance worth $24,096,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WLFC. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 643 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $133,000 after buying an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Invesco Ltd. acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $272,000. Alps Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter valued at approximately $311,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $312,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC traded down $1.32 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $148.68. 39,113 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 64,046. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.84 and a beta of 1.14. The business's fifty day moving average price is $144.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53, a quick ratio of 5.55 and a current ratio of 5.98. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a twelve month low of $97.54 and a twelve month high of $235.43.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $8.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $195.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Willis Lease Finance's payout ratio is 5.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.02, for a total transaction of $4,650,600.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 957,046 shares in the company, valued at approximately $148,361,270.92. The trade was a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the business's 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 transaction, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,903 shares of company stock worth $10,605,778. 57.02% of the stock is owned by 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.