Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sees Strong Trading Volume

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 16,030 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 22% from the previous session’s volume of 13,141 shares.The stock last traded at $98.41 and had previously closed at $95.78.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 2.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 1.41. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $613.57 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.76 and a beta of 1.05.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.52%.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In other news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total transaction of $412,402.23. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 107,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,237,333.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total transaction of $412,402.23. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 107,875 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,237,333.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.04, for a total value of $1,981,200.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 948,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,641,119.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 43,435 shares of company stock valued at $2,867,924. 57.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WLFC. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $242,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% in the first 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. raised its position in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $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 first quarter valued at about $114,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at about $69,000. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.