Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

Shares of Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 13,906 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 27% from the previous session’s volume of 19,090 shares.The stock last traded at $179.10 and had previously closed at $184.23.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 1.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.82 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $148.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.34.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.55%. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.09%.

Insider Transactions at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of Willis Lease Finance 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 93,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,180,723.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Willis Lease Finance news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total transaction of $190,261.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,213 shares in the company, valued at $10,180,723.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Robert J. Keady sold 1,378 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total value of $146,977.48. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Insiders have sold a total of 38,903 shares of company stock valued at $4,123,692 over the last 90 days. 57.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,204,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,575 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,732 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,367,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of 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. 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.