Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Hits New 52-Week High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Willis Lease Finance hit a new 52‑week high, trading as high as $208.12 (last $207.42) on Monday — the stock is up ~2.2% with a market cap around $1.41 billion and 50/200‑day moving averages of $186.35/$155.58.
• The company missed on EPS—reporting $1.52 versus a $3.38 consensus—while beating revenue expectations ($193.6M vs. $149M); profitability remains solid with an 18% ROE and a 15.4% net margin.
• Insiders have been selling recently (chair sold 9,727 shares, CEO 3,400, 22,797 shares sold in the last 90 days) and Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a Hold (C+), indicating mixed sentiment despite the price rally.

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $208.12 and last traded at $207.42, with a volume of 121334 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $202.98.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold".

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 2.2%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $186.35 and a 200-day moving average of $155.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.08, a current ratio of 3.86 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The stock has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a PE ratio of 13.46 and a beta of 0.76.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $3.38 by ($1.86). The company had revenue of $193.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $149.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 15.38%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio is currently 10.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Willis Lease Finance news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 $158,733,771.06. This represents a 1.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 represents a 1.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 22,797 shares of company stock valued at $3,964,697. 53.85% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. M3F Inc. increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.9% during the third quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 606,026 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $83,080,000 after purchasing an additional 39,085 shares in the last quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 102,259 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $13,870,000 after purchasing an additional 3,793 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of 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 worth $13,899,000 after purchasing an additional 9,052 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 15.0% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 92,194 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $12,639,000 after purchasing an additional 12,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 73,452 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $9,965,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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