Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Price Crosses Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s stock price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $169.61 and traded as high as $190.62. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $185.62, with a volume of 59,304 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WLFC shares. Freedom Capital downgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 1.6%

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $189.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $169.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $1.01. The business had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 15.72%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is presently 9.72%.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total transaction of $1,654,465.43. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 933,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $158,733,771.06. The trade was a 1.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total value of $590,070.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 183,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,842,086.25. The trade was a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,397 shares of company stock worth $3,333,181. Insiders own 53.32% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 34.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 53,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,110,000 after purchasing an additional 13,731 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 1st quarter worth approximately $293,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 39.3% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $555,000 after acquiring an additional 920 shares in the last quarter. Corsair Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. Corsair Capital Management L.P. now owns 18,002 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,065,000 after acquiring an additional 6,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the 1st quarter valued at $220,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.