Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) Short Interest Up 357.0% in July

Key Points

• Willis Lease Finance Corporation experienced a substantial increase in short interest in July, rising by 357.0% to a total of 365,600 shares, representing approximately 12.7% of the company's shares shorted.
• The company reported earnings of $2.21 per share for the last quarter, significantly missing analysts' expectations of $4.41, although revenue exceeded estimates at $157.73 million.
• Insider transactions included Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis selling 11,250 shares for over $1.5 million and CEO Austin Chandler Willis selling 3,450 shares for approximately $483,000.

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 365,600 shares, anincreaseof357.0% from the June 30th total of 80,000 shares. Currently,12.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 119,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 119,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently,12.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of WLFC stock traded down $1.04 on Wednesday, hitting $148.01. The stock had a trading volume of 21,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 76,985. Willis Lease Finance has a one year low of $89.43 and a one year high of $235.43. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $140.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.23. The company has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The transportation company reported $8.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.57 by $5.86. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 17.21% and a return on equity of 19.69%. The company had revenue of $195.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be issued 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 is Tuesday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 11,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.95, for a total transaction of $1,529,437.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 987,046 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $134,188,903.70. This represents a 1.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total value of $483,034.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 196,181 shares in the company, valued at $27,467,301.81. This trade represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 39,895 shares of company stock worth $5,488,698 in the last three months. Company insiders own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 643 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $133,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter valued at about $897,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $312,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 205,266.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,161 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $973,000 after purchasing an additional 6,158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 68.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 2,324 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $482,000 after purchasing an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% 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.