Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Short Interest Up 24.8% in October

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 134,300 shares, a growth of 24.8% from the October 15th total of 107,600 shares. Approximately 6.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 40,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Insider Activity

In other Willis Lease Finance news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.31, for a total transaction of $4,066,200.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 81,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,501,452.84. This represents a 19.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $10,180,723.86. This represents a 1.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 57,750 shares of company stock worth $8,617,901. Insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WLFC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake 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 valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,204,000 after buying an additional 865 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the first quarter worth about $114,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth about $69,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,732 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,367,000 after acquiring an additional 1,187 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WLFC opened at $198.16 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84. Willis Lease Finance has a 1-year low of $44.07 and a 1-year high of $235.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.04 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $165.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.88.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com cut Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th.

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.