Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Hits New 12-Month High After Dividend Announcement

Key Points

• Willis Lease Finance shares hit a new 52-week high after the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 (annualized $1.60) — yield about 0.7%; the record/ex-dividend date is May 11 and the dividend is payable May 22.
• WLFC reported a Q1 earnings and revenue beat with record lease‑rent revenue and healthy margins/ROE, which supported the upward move in the stock.
• Potential governance risk and insider activity: a shareholder investigation into executive compensation was announced and insiders have recently sold shares, though insiders still own roughly 53% of the stock.

Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced a dividend. The company traded as high as $229.72 and last traded at $229.09, with a volume of 126703 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $195.87.The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th will be given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 11th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance presently has an average rating of "Hold".

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.87 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $187.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $162.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.08, a quick ratio of 3.52 and a current ratio of 3.86.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 15.38%.

Key Stories Impacting Willis Lease Finance

Here are the key news stories impacting Willis Lease Finance this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 profit and revenue beat — WLFC reported $4.03 EPS vs. $3.02 consensus and revenue of $194.35M vs. ~$175M expected; margins and ROE remain healthy, supporting the upside in the share price. Earnings Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Record lease-rent revenue — Company announced record quarterly lease-rent revenue in Q1 2026, signaling strong leasing demand and supporting recurring cash flow. Record Quarterly Lease Rent Revenue Reported
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared — WLFC declared a $0.40 quarterly dividend (record May 11; payable May 22), which underscores management’s focus on returning cash and can support investor demand. (Company notice)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript available — Management discussed portfolio mix, asset re-deployment and the new asset model; details are important for assessing sustainability of the beat. Analysts will watch execution on those plans. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary/questions — Coverage pieces note the company is testing a new asset model after past misses; this is a watch item that could swing sentiment depending on execution. Willis Lease earnings test
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder investigation into executive compensation — A securities law firm announced an investigation into alleged excessive compensation for the executive chairman, which could lead to governance scrutiny, reputational risk, or potential legal/financial costs. Investigation Alert

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total transaction of $1,654,465.43. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 933,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $158,733,771.06. This represents a 1.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total value of $590,070.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $31,842,086.25. This trade represents a 1.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,397 shares of company stock valued at $3,333,181. 53.32% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. M3F Inc. boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 606,026 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $83,080,000 after purchasing an additional 39,085 shares during the period. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 102,259 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $13,870,000 after purchasing an additional 3,793 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 101,386 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $13,899,000 after purchasing an additional 9,052 shares during the period. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 92,194 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $12,639,000 after purchasing an additional 12,000 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 1.3% during 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

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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