Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock Price Up 4.5% – Should You Buy?

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) traded up 4.5% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $189.04 and last traded at $188.06. 29,228 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 71% from the average session volume of 17,129 shares. The stock had previously closed at $180.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.28. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $126.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $86.29. The company has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.30 and a beta of 1.09.

Willis Lease Finance (NASDAQ:WLFC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The transportation company reported $6.21 earnings per share (EPS) 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 12th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 12th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. Willis Lease Finance’s payout ratio is 7.77%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willis Lease Finance

In related news, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of Willis Lease Finance stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total value of $190,261.24. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 93,213 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,180,723.86. The trade was a 0.00 % 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. In other news, insider Robert J. Keady sold 2,528 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.08, for a total transaction of $230,250.24. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 22,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,047,296.24. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Scott B. Flaherty sold 1,742 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.22, for a total value of $190,261.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 93,213 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,180,723.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 38,903 shares of company stock worth $4,123,692 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 57.02% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willis Lease Finance

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WLFC. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new position in Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance during the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the second quarter worth approximately $69,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the first quarter worth $114,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the third quarter worth $146,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.70% of the company’s stock.

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.