Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sees Large Volume Increase – What’s Next?

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 29,065 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 56% from the previous session’s volume of 18,598 shares.The stock last traded at $177.50 and had previously closed at $188.05.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Willis Lease Finance Stock Up 1.9 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $138.09 and a 200 day moving average of $92.13. The company has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 1.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95.

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

Willis Lease Finance Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is presently 7.77%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the business’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 transaction of $190,261.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 93,213 shares in the company, valued at $10,180,723.86. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the business’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 transaction of $190,261.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 93,213 shares in the company, valued at $10,180,723.86. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Brian Richard Hole sold 1,314 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.84, for a total value of $139,073.76. Following the sale, the president now owns 99,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,540,288.08. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 38,903 shares of company stock worth $4,123,692. 57.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the third quarter valued at approximately $146,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the third quarter valued at approximately $312,000. 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.