JPMorgan Chase & Co. Grows Stake in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC - Free Report) by 147.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,289 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,559 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.06% of Willis Lease Finance worth $890,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WLFC. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter valued at $104,000. Truist Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $208,000. Lakewood Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Precision Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter worth $257,000. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter worth $297,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

WLFC stock traded down $3.81 during trading on Thursday, reaching $150.91. The stock had a trading volume of 31,811 shares, compared to its average volume of 34,382. The firm has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of 10.70 and a beta of 0.79. 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 $162.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $187.20. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 52 week low of $48.50 and a 52 week high of $235.43.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $2.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.92. The firm had revenue of $152.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $145.54 million. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.56% and a return on equity of 20.62%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total transaction of $544,479.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 206,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,612,556.08. The trade was a 1.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,539 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.90, for a total value of $263,015.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 69,296 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,842,686.40. This trade represents a 2.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,465 shares of company stock worth $2,439,074. Company insiders own 57.02% of the company's stock.

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.