Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Sells $1,208,112.50 in Stock

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 8,750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.07, for a total value of $1,208,112.50. Following the sale, the chairman now directly owns 998,296 shares of the company's stock, valued at $137,834,728.72. The trade was a 0.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC traded up $2.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $145.50. 286,899 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 42,064. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $140.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $176.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.31 and a beta of 1.05. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a fifty-two week low of $58.63 and a fifty-two week high of $235.43.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by ($2.20). The business had revenue of $157.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is currently 6.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $133,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $312,000. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 68.5% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,324 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 34,628 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $7,187,000 after buying an additional 1,620 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

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.