Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Shares Down 3.7% - Time to Sell?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) fell 3.7% on Monday . The company traded as low as $142.26 and last traded at $143.32. 71,370 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 35% from the average session volume of 52,876 shares. The stock had previously closed at $148.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Willis Lease Finance Stock Down 4.1%

The business's fifty day moving average price is $141.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $169.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 2.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.78 and a beta of 1.06.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by ($2.20). Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 17.21% and a return on equity of 19.69%. The firm had revenue of $157.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.70%. Willis Lease Finance's payout ratio is 6.85%.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 11,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.95, for a total transaction of $1,529,437.50. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 987,046 shares in the company, valued at $134,188,903.70. This represents a 1.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 206,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at $32,612,556.08. The trade was a 1.64% 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 valued at $5,550,142 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WLFC. M3F Inc. grew its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 6.0% during the 1st quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 534,261 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $84,397,000 after purchasing an additional 30,032 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 511,472 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $106,154,000 after buying an additional 17,500 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 7.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 152,536 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $24,096,000 after buying an additional 10,436 shares during the last quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 23.6% in the 1st quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 96,900 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $15,307,000 after buying an additional 18,519 shares during the period. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. raised its position in Willis Lease Finance by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 32,643 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $5,157,000 after buying an additional 2,867 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.