Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $180.80 and last traded at $180.00, with a volume of 8113 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $174.85.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Willis Lease Finance Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $122.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.79. The stock has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.48 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 earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The transportation company reported $6.21 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $151.12 million for the quarter. Willis Lease Finance had a net margin of 18.16% and a return on equity of 19.51%.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 8,670 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.17, for a total transaction of $946,503.90. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 933,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,897,094.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Chairman Charles F. Iv Willis sold 8,670 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.17, for a total transaction of $946,503.90. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 933,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $101,897,094.60. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Robert J. Keady sold 2,528 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.08, for a total transaction of $230,250.24. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,478 shares in the company, valued at $2,047,296.24. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 38,903 shares of company stock valued at $4,123,692 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 104,869 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,204,000 after buying an additional 865 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 7.7% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,062 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,095,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 6.4% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 19,732 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,367,000 after buying an additional 1,187 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 4.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,691 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Willis Lease Finance by 14.0% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,887 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Willis Lease Finance

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.