Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Rating Lowered to Buy at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report published on Thursday morning.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

WLFC stock opened at $92.40 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $607.07 million, a PE ratio of 10.65 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s 50-day moving average is $73.24 and its 200-day moving average is $59.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 0.91. Willis Lease Finance has a 1 year low of $39.50 and a 1 year high of $103.08.

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio is 11.52%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.04, for a total transaction of $1,981,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 948,533 shares in the company, valued at $62,641,119.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 1,129 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.08, for a total transaction of $73,475.32. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 29,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,925,912.44. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 30,000 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.04, for a total value of $1,981,200.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 948,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,641,119.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 40,345 shares of company stock worth $2,670,936 over the last quarter. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WLFC. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $44,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $69,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter worth $114,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.