Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Short Interest Update

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 166,300 shares, a growth of 36.9% from the December 15th total of 121,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 46,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days. Approximately 7.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WLFC opened at $198.01 on Friday. Willis Lease Finance has a twelve month low of $45.76 and a twelve month high of $235.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $207.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $152.83. The company has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.03 and a beta of 1.11.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.19, for a total value of $1,000,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 74,955 shares in the company, valued at $15,005,241.45. This trade represents a 6.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.31, for a total value of $4,066,200.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 81,164 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,501,452.84. The trade was a 19.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 25,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,164,310 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% during 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. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 259 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at $27,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 3rd quarter valued at $146,000. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 3rd quarter worth about $312,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com cut Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report 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.