Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Time to Buy?

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 60,372 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the previous session’s volume of 62,082 shares.The stock last traded at $187.99 and had previously closed at $189.32.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research report on Friday, March 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.08, a current ratio of 3.86 and a quick ratio of 3.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $186.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $161.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.60 and a beta of 0.76.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.38 by ($1.86). The firm had revenue of $193.62 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 15.38%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the business’s 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 owned 933,234 shares in the company, valued at $158,733,771.06. The trade was a 1.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 22,797 shares of company stock worth $3,964,697 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 53.85% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WLFC. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 1,498.3% during the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 66,008 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,049,000 after buying an additional 61,878 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter worth $8,073,000. M3F Inc. boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 6.9% during the third quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 606,026 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $83,080,000 after buying an additional 39,085 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 357.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 40,289 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,752,000 after buying an additional 31,480 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 780.3% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 33,452 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $4,537,000 after buying an additional 29,652 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.