Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Lowered to Hold Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 20.4 %

WLFC stock opened at $217.79 on Wednesday. Willis Lease Finance has a 52 week low of $42.61 and a 52 week high of $220.16. The company has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.44 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.17.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 7.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willis Lease Finance news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 1,378 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total transaction of $146,977.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,119 shares in the company, valued at $759,312.54. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Willis Lease Finance news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 1,187 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.17, for a total value of $126,023.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 96,589 shares in the company, valued at $10,254,854.13. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Keady sold 1,378 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total transaction of $146,977.48. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,119 shares in the company, valued at approximately $759,312.54. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 37,678 shares of company stock valued at $4,010,894. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% in 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. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 865 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter worth about $114,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.