Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – What’s Next?

Shares of Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $174.58 and traded as high as $197.90. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $190.26, with a volume of 135,268 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WLFC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Freedom Capital lowered shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Willis Lease Finance from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Willis Lease Finance has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

Willis Lease Finance Trading Down 0.8%

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 2.43, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $192.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $174.58.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $1.01. The business had revenue of $194.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.00 million. Willis Lease Finance had a return on equity of 19.22% and a net margin of 15.72%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 11th were given a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is currently 9.72%.

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 Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.55, for a total value of $590,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 183,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $31,842,086.25. The trade was a 1.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.09, for a total transaction of $1,654,465.43. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 933,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $158,733,771.06. This represents a 1.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,397 shares of company stock worth $3,333,181. 53.32% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Carlson Capital L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the 1st quarter worth about $528,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 34.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 53,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,110,000 after acquiring an additional 13,731 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Willis Lease Finance in the 1st quarter worth approximately $293,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 39.3% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 920 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corsair Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 50.0% during the first quarter. Corsair Capital Management L.P. now owns 18,002 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,065,000 after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

About Willis Lease Finance

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.