Willis Lease Finance (WLFC) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

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. The Spare Parts Sales segment purchases and resells after-market engine parts, whole engines, engine modules, and portable aircraft components. The company also focuses on engine management and consulting business. It serves commercial aircraft operators, as well as maintenance, repair, and overhaul organizations. As of December 31, 2023, it had a total lease portfolio of 337 engines, 12 aircraft, one marine vessel, and other leased parts and equipment, and with 74 lessees in 42 countries; and managed a total lease portfolio of 198 engines, aircraft, and related equipment for other parties. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Coconut Creek, Florida.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $141.04 to $144.32
• 50-Day Range: $131.05 to $148.84
• 52-Week Range: $84.28 to $235.43
• Volume: 54,830 shs
• Average Volume: 117,437 shs
• Market Capitalization: $1.10 billion
• P/E Ratio: 9.83
• Dividend Yield: 0.70%
• Price Target: N/A
• Consensus Rating: N/A

Willis Lease Finance Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Willis Lease Finance scored higher than 64% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 63rd out of 125 stocks in the transportation sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: N/A
• Analyst Rating: N/A

Consensus Rating

There is not enough analysis data for Willis Lease Finance.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.3 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: N/A

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Willis Lease Finance is 9.83, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 27.71.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Willis Lease Finance is 9.83, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Transportation sector average P/E ratio of about 13.13.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Willis Lease Finance has a P/B Ratio of 1.73. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 4.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

8.29% of the float of Willis Lease Finance has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Willis Lease Finance has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 0.1, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Willis Lease Finance has recently decreased by 63.47%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 0.8 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Weak

Dividend Yield

Willis Lease Finance has a dividend yield of 0.70%, which is in the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Willis Lease Finance does not have a long track record of dividend growth.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Willis Lease Finance is 6.85%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: N/A
• Environmental Score: N/A

Percentage of Shares Shorted

8.29% of the float of Willis Lease Finance has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Willis Lease Finance has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 0.1, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Willis Lease Finance has recently decreased by 63.47%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 3.0 / 5
• News Sentiment: 1.43

News Sentiment

Willis Lease Finance has a news sentiment score of 1.43. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.87 average news sentiment score of Transportation companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 7 news articles for Willis Lease Finance this week, compared to 5 articles on an average week.

Company Ownership

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Willis Lease Finance insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $5,488,698.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

57.02% of the stock of Willis Lease Finance is held by insiders. A high percentage of insider ownership can be a sign of company health.

Percentage Held by Institutions

93.70% of the stock of Willis Lease Finance is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

WLFC Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have WLFC shares performed this year?

Willis Lease Finance's stock was trading at $207.55 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, WLFC shares have decreased by 30.8% and is now trading at $143.54.

How were Willis Lease Finance's earnings last quarter?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May, 6th. The transportation company reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.41 by $2.20. The transportation company had revenue of $157.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $149 million. Willis Lease Finance had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 19.69% and a net margin of 17.21%.
Read the conference call transcript.

Who are Willis Lease Finance's major shareholders?

Top institutional shareholders of Willis Lease Finance include Palisades Investment Partners LLC (0.27%), Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC (0.19%), Allianz Asset Management GmbH (0.05%) and Ritholtz Wealth Management (0.02%). Insiders that own company stock include Charles F Iv Willis, Austin Chandler Willis, Brian Richard Hole, Scott B Flaherty, Hans Jorg Hunziker, Rae Ann Mckeating and Robert J Keady.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Willis Lease Finance?

Shares of WLFC stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Willis Lease Finance own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Willis Lease Finance investors own include American Water Works (AWK), The RMR Group (RMR), Waste Connections (WCN), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH), iShares Micro-Cap ETF (IWC), AU Optronics (AUOTY) and Triple Flag Precious Metals (TFPM).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 5/06/2025
• Record date for 5/22 Dividend: 5/12/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 5/22 Dividend: 5/12/2025
• Dividend Payable: 5/22/2025
• Today: 7/29/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 8/05/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Transportation
• Industry: TRANS - EQP&LSNG
• Sub-Industry: Trading Companies & Distributors
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:WLFC
• CIK: 1018164
• Web: www.willislease.com
• Phone: (561) 349-9989
• Fax: 415-408-4701
• Employees: 240
• Year Founded: N/A

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $14.60
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 9.83
• Forward P/E Ratio: N/A
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $108.61 million
• Net Margins: 17.21%
• Pretax Margin: 24.35%
• Return on Equity: 19.69%
• Return on Assets: 3.34%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 3.95
• Current Ratio: 2.17
• Quick Ratio: 1.61

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $569.22 million
• Price / Sales: 1.93
• Cash Flow: $32.40 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 4.43
• Book Value: $83.19 per share
• Price / Book: 1.73

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 7,670,000
• Free Float: 3,297,000
• Market Cap: $1.10 billion
• Optionable: Not Optionable
• Beta: 1.04