Charles Iv Willis Sells 16,300 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Key Points

• Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 16,300 WLFC shares at an average price of $53.98, generating approximately $879,874. He retained 2.55 million shares after the transaction, a 0.64% reduction in his ownership.
• Willis Lease Finance shares rose 1.4% to $55.15, while the company reported quarterly earnings of $1.31 per share and revenue of $194.02 million, exceeding analyst estimates.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Buy” rating and a $71 price target, although the company recently reduced its annualized dividend to $0.53 per share, yielding about 1.0%.

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 16,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.98, for a total value of $879,874.00. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 2,549,343 shares in the company, valued at $137,613,535.14. The trade was a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of WLFC traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $55.15. The stock had a trading volume of 194,858 shares, compared to its average volume of 277,651. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.49. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 12 month low of $38.00 and a 12 month high of $81.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. The company has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83 and a beta of 0.74.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.41. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 11.80% and a return on equity of 14.11%. The firm had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th were paid a dividend of $0.133 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Willis Lease Finance's payout ratio is 13.28%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Freedom Capital upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Lease Finance from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, UBS Group set a $71.00 price target on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.00.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.8% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,700 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,696 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,848 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $251,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,144 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $3,783,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation NASDAQ: WLFC is an independent global provider of aircraft engine leasing, trading and aftermarket services. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in the United States, the company specializes in offering short- and long-term operating leases for jet engines and auxiliary power units. Through its broad engine portfolio, Willis Lease Finance supports a wide range of commercial aircraft across various operators, including major airlines, regional carriers and other leasing companies.

In addition to leasing solutions, Willis Lease Finance offers comprehensive engine trading and asset management services.

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