Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Reaches New 52-Week High at $114.49

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $114.49 and last traded at $114.49, with a volume of 1473 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.35.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $786.70 million, a P/E ratio of 12.94 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $92.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $68.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a current ratio of 1.80.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The transportation company reported $6.21 earnings per share for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 18.16%. The firm had revenue of $151.12 million during the quarter.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Investors of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.84%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 11.52%.

Insider Activity at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 the SEC website. In other Willis Lease Finance news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total value of $190,261.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 93,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,180,723.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 6,147 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.09, for a total value of $412,402.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 107,875 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,237,333.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,343 shares of company stock worth $4,556,534 in the last 90 days. 57.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $464,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 599 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings 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.

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.