Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Reaches New 52-Week High at $114.49

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $114.49 and last traded at $114.49, with a volume of 1473 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $112.35.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com cut Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $92.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $786.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 1.07.

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

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 issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.84%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 11.52%.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total transaction of $190,261.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,180,723.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Willis Lease Finance news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total value of $190,261.24. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,180,723.86. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total value of $412,402.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 107,875 shares in the company, valued at $7,237,333.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 45,343 shares of company stock valued at $4,556,534 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth $69,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter worth $114,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.