Wedbush Securities Inc. Invests $1.27 Million in Willis Lease Finance Corporation $WLFC

Wedbush Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 9,285 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,273,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. owned about 0.14% of Willis Lease Finance at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth $8,073,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the 2nd quarter worth about $5,542,000. M3F Inc. grew its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. M3F Inc. now owns 566,941 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $80,948,000 after acquiring an additional 32,680 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Willis Lease Finance by 357.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 40,289 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $5,752,000 after acquiring an additional 31,480 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 951.4% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 27,346 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,904,000 after acquiring an additional 24,745 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Willis Lease Finance stock opened at $196.77 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of 11.78 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.44. Willis Lease Finance Corporation has a 1 year low of $114.01 and a 1 year high of $211.00. The company’s 50-day moving average is $161.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.76.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is presently 9.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Willis Lease Finance currently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.74, for a total transaction of $631,516.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 184,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,314,722.04. The trade was a 1.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 12,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,818,920. Corporate insiders own 53.85% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Profile

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) is an independent global provider of aircraft engine leasing, trading and aftermarket services. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in the United States, the company specializes in offering short- and long-term operating leases for jet engines and auxiliary power units. Through its broad engine portfolio, Willis Lease Finance supports a wide range of commercial aircraft across various operators, including major airlines, regional carriers and other leasing companies.

In addition to leasing solutions, Willis Lease Finance offers comprehensive engine trading and asset management services.