Insider Selling: Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Sells $1,100,100.00 in Stock

Key Points

• CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,000 shares of Willis Lease Finance at an average price of $73.34, generating $1.10 million and reducing his direct ownership by 3.33%. He previously sold 15,552 shares in July.
• Willis Lease Finance reported quarterly EPS of $1.31, beating the $0.90 consensus estimate, while revenue of $194.02 million exceeded expectations of $175 million.
• The stock traded at $65.21 after falling $5.41, while the company announced a $0.133 quarterly dividend. Analysts’ average rating remains “Moderate Buy,” though high leverage and increased insider selling may weigh on sentiment.

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total transaction of $1,100,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 435,888 shares in the company, valued at $31,968,025.92. This trade represents a 3.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

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

• On Wednesday, July 1st, Austin Chandler Willis sold 15,552 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total transaction of $1,161,578.88.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

NASDAQ WLFC traded down $5.41 on Wednesday, reaching $65.21. 215,960 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 278,446. The firm has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.89 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $70.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.82. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $38.00 and a fifty-two week high of $81.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.43.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 15.72%.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a $0.133 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is presently 9.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WLFC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised Willis Lease Finance from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Freedom Capital cut shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Key Willis Lease Finance News

Here are the key news stories impacting Willis Lease Finance this week:

• Positive Sentiment: WLFC reported diluted EPS of $1.31, well above the $0.90 consensus estimate, while revenue of $194.0 million exceeded expectations of $175.0 million. Willis Lease Finance Corporation Reports Solid Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Underlying operations improved: operating income rose 20.2% to $34.0 million, lease-rent revenue increased 6.7% to $77.1 million, and gains on leased-equipment sales climbed 16.2% to $32.0 million. Adjusted EBITDA increased 4.0% to $120.7 million.
• Positive Sentiment: Assets under management grew 21% year over year to $4.4 billion. Management also outlined approximately $1.3 billion of discretionary fund capital available for deployment and announced expansion of aviation services through a Pratt & Whitney engine-storage agreement. Willis Lease outlines $1.3B of discretionary fund capital
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call emphasized growth in Willis Aviation Capital, new investment-fund partnerships and broader asset-management opportunities, but the funds’ eventual contribution will depend on deployment and investment performance. Willis Lease Finance Earnings Call Highlights Growth
• Negative Sentiment: Net income attributable to common shareholders fell 51.2% to $28.7 million, and diluted EPS declined from $2.81 a year earlier. The comparison was pressured by the absence of a prior-year $43.0 million gain from selling the BAML business, while WLFC recorded a $5.4 million debt-extinguishment loss in the latest quarter.
• Negative Sentiment: Total revenue edged down year over year, maintenance-reserve revenue declined 8.4%, and the company remains highly leveraged, with debt obligations of about $2.32 billion. Reported insider activity also showed substantially more selling than buying, adding a potential sentiment overhang.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 780.3% during the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 33,452 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $4,537,000 after acquiring an additional 29,652 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter worth about $1,462,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter worth about $2,958,000. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,696 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter worth approximately $317,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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