Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Trading Down 3.7% After Insider Selling

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

Specifically, President Brian Richard Hole sold 7,295 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.16, for a total transaction of $1,058,942.20. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 100,760 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,626,321.60. This trade represents a 6.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $141.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $168.34. The stock has a market cap of $1.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.60 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 net margin of 17.21% and a return on equity of 19.69%. The company had revenue of $157.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.00 million.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 12th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 12th. Willis Lease Finance's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.85%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. M3F Inc. lifted 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 worth $84,397,000 after purchasing an additional 30,032 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 152,536 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $24,096,000 after acquiring an additional 10,436 shares during the period. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 23.6% during the 1st quarter. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC now owns 96,900 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $15,307,000 after acquiring an additional 18,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. increased its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 9.6% in the first quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 32,643 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $5,157,000 after acquiring an additional 2,867 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company's stock.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

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.