Renaissance Technologies LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)

Renaissance Technologies LLC lessened its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) by 0.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 245,497 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 3.73% of Willis Lease Finance worth $17,013,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WLFC. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth $69,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter worth $114,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased 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 valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the period. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, 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 sale, the president now directly owns 107,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,237,333.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 27th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $7,237,333.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total value of $190,261.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 93,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,180,723.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 45,343 shares of company stock valued at $4,556,534 over the last 90 days. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Willis Lease Finance stock opened at $132.12 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $868.03 million, a PE ratio of 15.22 and a beta of 1.07. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 1-year low of $39.50 and a 1-year high of $136.75. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $99.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.16.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The transportation company reported $6.21 earnings per share (EPS) 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 11.52%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.