Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Hits New 1-Year High at $114.41

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $114.41 and last traded at $111.55, with a volume of 803 shares. The stock had previously closed at $109.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 0.3 %

The company has a market cap of $725.18 million, a P/E ratio of 12.65 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $81.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.44.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The transportation company reported $6.21 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $151.12 million for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 18.16%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 11.52%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 534 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.84, for a total transaction of $59,722.56. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,424 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,501,340.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.04, for a total transaction of $1,981,200.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 948,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,641,119.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Robert J. Keady sold 534 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.84, for a total transaction of $59,722.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,424 shares in the company, valued at $1,501,340.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 44,294 shares of company stock worth $3,164,316 in the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after acquiring an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at $69,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the 1st quarter worth $114,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,204,000 after purchasing an additional 865 shares in the last quarter. 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.