Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) EVP Sells $927,297.00 in Stock

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) EVP Scott B. Flaherty sold 5,026 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.50, for a total transaction of $927,297.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 79,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,625,315. The trade was a 5.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

WLFC stock opened at $160.16 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.35 and a beta of 1.11. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $187.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $186.60. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 52-week low of $48.10 and a 52-week high of $235.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $2.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.89 by $0.92. The company had revenue of $152.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $145.54 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 20.62% and a net margin of 18.56%.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is currently 6.50%.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WLFC. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at $16,268,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 15.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,493,000 after purchasing an additional 19,078 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 511,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $106,154,000 after purchasing an additional 17,500 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Willis Lease Finance by 173.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 22,990 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,421,000 after purchasing an additional 14,590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Apis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,930,000. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.