Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ:WLFC)’s share price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $182.23 and traded as high as $230.52. Willis Lease Finance shares last traded at $228.80, with a volume of 152,303 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on WLFC shares. Weiss Ratings raised Willis Lease Finance from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Freedom Capital cut Willis Lease Finance from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a PE ratio of 13.76 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $196.47 and its 200-day moving average is $182.87. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.25.

Willis Lease Finance’s stock is set to split before the market opens on Monday, July 20th. The 3-1 split was announced on Tuesday, June 23rd. The newly created shares will be issued to shareholders after the market closes on Monday, July 6th.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The transportation company reported $4.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $1.01. The company had revenue of $194.35 million for 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 11th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 11th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is presently 9.72%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

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

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.