Charles F. Iv Willis Sells 30,000 Shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Key Points

• Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock for $4,650,600, reducing his ownership by 3.04% to approximately 957,046 shares.
• Willis Lease Finance reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $8.43 for the last quarter, significantly exceeding the consensus estimate of $2.57, with revenue reaching $195.50 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, representing a 0.6% yield and a payout ratio of 5.95%, payable on August 21st.

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.02, for a total value of $4,650,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 957,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $148,361,270.92. This represents a 3.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Down 3.9%

WLFC stock traded down $6.04 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $148.73. 44,094 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 69,286. The firm's 50 day moving average is $143.81 and its 200 day moving average is $154.60. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.84 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 5.98, a quick ratio of 5.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.53. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a twelve month low of $97.54 and a twelve month high of $235.43.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $8.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.57 by $5.86. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 21.75% and a net margin of 18.77%.The firm had revenue of $195.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. M3F Inc. lifted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 6.1% during the second quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 566,941 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $80,948,000 after acquiring an additional 32,680 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 511,472 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $106,154,000 after purchasing an additional 17,500 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $24,096,000 after buying an additional 10,436 shares during the last quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 23.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 18,519 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 16.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 82,607 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $11,796,000 after purchasing an additional 11,745 shares during the period. 93.70% of the stock is owned by 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.