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

Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 60,372 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the previous session’s volume of 62,082 shares.The stock last traded at $187.99 and had previously closed at $189.32.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willis Lease Finance in a report on Friday, March 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Up 0.7%

The stock has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.36 and a beta of 0.76. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $187.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $160.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.08, a current ratio of 3.86 and a quick ratio of 3.52.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 10th. The transportation company reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.38 by ($1.86). The firm had revenue of $193.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 18.00% and a net margin of 15.38%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total value of $590,070.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,842,086.25. This represents a 1.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 9,727 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total value of $1,654,465.43. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 933,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $158,733,771.06. This represents a 1.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 22,797 shares of company stock worth $3,964,697. 53.85% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Shikiar Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter valued at $2,123,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter valued at about $349,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 24.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,199 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $705,000 after buying an additional 1,029 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 27,889 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,783,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Willis Lease Finance during the fourth quarter valued at about $354,000. Institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

Willis Lease Finance Company 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.