Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Sells $808,500.00 in Stock

Key Points

• CEO Austin Willis sold 15,000 WLFC shares at an average price of $53.90, generating $808,500 and reducing his direct stake by 3.44% to 420,888 shares. He also sold shares in July and August.
• Willis Lease Finance reported quarterly EPS of $1.31, beating estimates of $0.90, while revenue of $194.02 million exceeded the $175 million consensus forecast.
• WLFC shares rose 1.1% to $55.51, while analysts maintained an overall “Buy” rating with a $71 price target; institutional investors own 93.7% of the stock.

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) CEO Austin Willis sold 15,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.90, for a total value of $808,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 420,888 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,685,863.20. This represents a 3.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

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

• On Monday, August 3rd, Austin Willis sold 15,000 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.34, for a total transaction of $1,100,100.00.
• On Wednesday, July 1st, Austin 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 Trading Up 1.1%

WLFC traded up $0.61 during trading on Thursday, reaching $55.51. 113,142 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 273,397. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a one year low of $38.00 and a one year high of $81.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $67.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 13.92 and a beta of 0.73.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 742.5% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 337 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 197.9% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 694 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth approximately $109,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WLFC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group set a $71.00 price objective on Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings cut Willis Lease Finance from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $71.00.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

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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