Austin Chandler Willis Sells 3,450 Shares of Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) Stock

Willis Lease Finance Co. (NASDAQ:WLFC) CEO Austin Chandler Willis sold 3,450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.14, for a total value of $704,283.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 158,034 shares in the company, valued at $32,261,060.76. The trade was a 2.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Willis Lease Finance Stock Performance

Shares of Willis Lease Finance stock traded up $4.66 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $197.22. 29,247 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 35,453. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.84. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $199.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $178.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.98 and a beta of 1.10. Willis Lease Finance Co. has a 1-year low of $46.70 and a 1-year high of $235.43.

Willis Lease Finance Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. Willis Lease Finance’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com cut Willis Lease Finance from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th.

Institutional Trading of Willis Lease Finance

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 511,472 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $106,154,000 after acquiring an additional 17,500 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Willis Lease Finance by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 142,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,493,000 after purchasing an additional 19,078 shares during the period. Four Tree Island Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willis Lease Finance in the fourth quarter valued at $16,268,000. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 2.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 67,021 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $9,975,000 after purchasing an additional 1,886 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Willis Lease Finance by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,926 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,941,000 after buying an additional 2,805 shares during the last quarter. 93.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.