Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Chairman Charles Iv Willis Sells 27,500 Shares

Key Points

• Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 27,500 shares of Willis Lease Finance at an average price of $57.49, generating approximately $1.58 million; he retained 2.58 million shares afterward.
• WLFC shares fell 4.1% to $55.09, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company reported quarterly EPS of $1.31, surpassing the $0.90 consensus estimate, while revenue of $194.02 million also exceeded forecasts.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.133, equivalent to an annualized $0.53 and a 1.0% yield. Analysts’ average rating remains “Buy,” with a $71 target price, although ratings ranged from “Strong Buy” to “Hold.”

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) Chairman Charles Iv Willis sold 27,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.49, for a total value of $1,580,975.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 2,584,943 shares of the company's stock, valued at $148,608,373.07. This represents a 1.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 4.1%

Shares of Willis Lease Finance stock traded down $2.37 on Wednesday, hitting $55.09. The stock had a trading volume of 220,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 260,025. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $70.22 and a 200 day moving average of $65.64. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a twelve month low of $38.00 and a twelve month high of $81.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.27, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.82 and a beta of 0.74.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its 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 business had revenue of $194.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a $0.133 dividend. This represents a $0.53 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.28%.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $68,932,000. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $24,747,000. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 9.8% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 101,386 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $13,899,000 after acquiring an additional 9,052 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 92,194 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $12,639,000 after acquiring an additional 12,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 73,452 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $9,965,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group set a $71.00 target price on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Freedom Capital upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Willis Lease Finance from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Willis Lease Finance has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price 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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