Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 194,600 shares, a growth of 20.0% from the January 15th total of 162,200 shares. Currently, 8.4% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 41,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.7 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Rae Ann Mckeating sold 500 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $97,160.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 16,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,206,280. The trade was a 2.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 57.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 27.4% during the fourth quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 298 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter worth $104,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 780.8% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 687 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $143,000 after acquiring an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the 3rd quarter valued at $146,000. Finally, Truist Financial Corp acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the 4th quarter valued at $208,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Shares of WLFC opened at $195.84 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. The stock has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.88 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50-day moving average of $203.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $170.03. Willis Lease Finance has a 12-month low of $46.70 and a 12-month high of $235.43.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 7.09%.

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.