Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Trading 4.2% Higher – What’s Next?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s stock price rose 4.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $183.45 and last traded at $184.1250. Approximately 1,429 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 98% from the average daily volume of 62,989 shares. The stock had previously closed at $176.68.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.85 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $145.43 and its 200-day moving average is $141.64.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The transportation company reported $3.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.34 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $154.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 20.58% and a net margin of 17.79%.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 9.58%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.31, for a total transaction of $453,254.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 174,273 shares in the company, valued at $23,232,333.63. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,600 shares of company stock worth $1,959,176. 53.85% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M3F Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 566,941 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $80,948,000 after acquiring an additional 32,680 shares in the last quarter. AXQ Capital LP acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth $409,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 16.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 82,607 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,796,000 after acquiring an additional 11,745 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth $533,000. Finally, Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. grew its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. now owns 39,839 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,688,000 after buying an additional 7,196 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Company Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) is an independent global provider of aircraft engine leasing, trading and aftermarket services. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in the United States, the company specializes in offering short- and long-term operating leases for jet engines and auxiliary power units. Through its broad engine portfolio, Willis Lease Finance supports a wide range of commercial aircraft across various operators, including major airlines, regional carriers and other leasing companies.

In addition to leasing solutions, Willis Lease Finance offers comprehensive engine trading and asset management services.