Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sets New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $220.16 and last traded at $217.79, with a volume of 112024 shares. The stock had previously closed at $180.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $148.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.34.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 7.09%.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other Willis Lease Finance news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 1,187 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.17, for a total transaction of $126,023.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 96,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,254,854.13. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 1,225 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.08, for a total value of $112,798.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 27,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,569,492.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 1,187 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.17, for a total transaction of $126,023.79. Following the sale, the president now owns 96,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,254,854.13. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 38,903 shares of company stock worth $4,123,692. Insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WLFC. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $464,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,204,000 after buying an additional 865 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

About Willis Lease Finance

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.