Insider Selling: Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) President Sells 2,893 Shares of Stock

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) President Brian Richard Hole sold 2,893 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.72, for a total transaction of $386,851.96. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 108,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,449,114.60. This trade represents a 2.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Brian Richard Hole also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, May 23rd, Brian Richard Hole sold 2,807 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.49, for a total transaction of $369,092.43.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 2.6%

WLFC traded up $3.49 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $135.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 104,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 38,424. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 1 year low of $58.63 and a 1 year high of $235.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84. The stock's 50-day moving average is $142.79 and its 200-day moving average is $178.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.59 and a beta of 1.13.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.41 by ($2.20). The company had revenue of $157.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $149.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 18.56%.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

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 $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is presently 6.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,622 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 5,783 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,200,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 23,188 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,813,000 after buying an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.