Austin Chandler Willis Sells 3,450 Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was 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. This represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Austin Chandler Willis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 2nd, Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.37, for a total transaction of $453,226.50.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 4.9%

Willis Lease Finance stock traded up $6.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $140.11. 79,471 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 54,377. The company has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.60 and a beta of 1.04. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a twelve month low of $67.58 and a twelve month high of $235.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95. The company has a fifty day moving average of $141.14 and a 200-day moving average of $167.42.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $157.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. 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 shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. M3F Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 534,261 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $84,397,000 after purchasing an additional 30,032 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 152,536 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $24,096,000 after purchasing an additional 10,436 shares during the last quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 96,900 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $15,307,000 after purchasing an additional 18,519 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 32,643 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $5,157,000 after purchasing an additional 2,867 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.