Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sets New 1-Year High at $149.54

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $149.54 and last traded at $149.00, with a volume of 15324 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $144.71.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 3.0 %

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 company has a market capitalization of $978.93 million, a PE ratio of 16.97 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $108.26 and a 200 day moving average of $76.87.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $151.12 million during the quarter.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

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 transaction of $190,261.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,180,723.86. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 3,258 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.41, for a total value of $356,457.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 89,955 shares in the company, valued at $9,841,976.55. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total value of $190,261.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 93,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,180,723.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 38,903 shares of company stock valued at $4,123,692. Company insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WLFC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,204,000 after buying an additional 865 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,095,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,732 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,367,000 after buying an additional 1,187 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.