Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Cut to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

NASDAQ:WLFC traded down $1.64 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $130.97. The company had a trading volume of 16,489 shares, compared to its average volume of 37,274. Willis Lease Finance has a 52-week low of $58.63 and a 52-week high of $235.43. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $149.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $182.48. The company has a market capitalization of $1.00 billion, a PE ratio of 9.28 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.41 by ($2.20). Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 18.56%. The company had revenue of $157.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $149.00 million.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Lease Finance news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.82, for a total transaction of $544,479.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 206,644 shares in the company, valued at $32,612,556.08. This represents a 1.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,026 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total transaction of $927,297.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 79,270 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,625,315. The trade was a 5.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,465 shares of company stock worth $2,439,074. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLFC. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter valued at about $16,268,000. M3F Inc. boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 6.0% during the first quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 534,261 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $84,397,000 after buying an additional 30,032 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,100 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,493,000 after buying an additional 19,078 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 50,634.3% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 17,757 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,805,000 after buying an additional 17,722 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% during the fourth 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. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.

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